Let there be no panic and if there is – let it be organized!

Week two in San Diego and as the starting gun for the 2011 Baja Haha is being oiled and cocked, first timers are whipping themselves into a frenzy of last minute buying, fixing, preparing and panicking about entry requirements into Mexico.

How many copies of the ‘Rola de Tripilantes’ do you need? – four apparently

Do we really need to buy Mexican based liability insurance? – Yes and No. (authorities don’t require it but some marinas only accept liability coverage issued from a Mexican agency – Upshot? Most of us cave in and buy the extra insurance).

And that confounded Temporary Import Licence! – why didn’t we organize that before we left the country? Wait a minute –if you go online you can get a pre-registration form that will speed up the process once you are in Mexico. And – if you scan all your documents and send them on to Bob in Mexico he’ll meet you in Bahia Santa Maria with all your papers and permits in order – for a fee of course.

More capitulation, photocopying , scanning and e-mailing. Phew!

This is the chatter that is the pre-occupation of us newbies. We lurch between group hysteria mode outside the deli in the morning over coffee and group ‘chillax’ mode around the hot tub at the Sheraton later in the evening after the day’s crises have been put into perspective. We did sign up for this after all.

Yesterday, Jamie, who will be crewing for us on the way to Cabo San Lucas, arrived.

He is a BCA member who had started coming down the coast with his own boat but opted to leave it in Westport Washington as the weather continued to deteriorate and become uncertain. He is now crewing his way south to get experience and knowledge for next year when he will continue the journey on his own boat. This has been a difficult season for coming south. We have met several people who encountered strong gales and got quite beaten up on their way down. We realize that we were well treated by Mother Nature during our trip even though we thought at the time that she was being a bit rough on us.

Today we rented a car from Enterprise and did a Costco run. I’m sure they have toilet paper and diet coke in Mexico but just in case  - better stock up. John made a new extension for the exhaust to keep the transom from staining and I cleaned the 

transom back to its gleaming white. Our old extension got swallowed by the Pacific in a seaway on the way down. This new one has a leash on it so that if does get knocked off we can retrieve it. 

Tomorrow, West Marine has its big sale for cruisers and on Sunday they host their annual Halloween Party for BaJa Haha participants. Downwind Marine and West Marine both go to great lengths to accommodate and help cruisers preparing to go offshore. On Sunday morning 172 sailing vessels will slip their moorings and congregate off the America’s Cup harbor waiting for the starting gun that will set them on their way down the Baja. God willing, Sea Reach will be among them. We will be without internet for up to two weeks so the next blog update will be when we get to Cabo. Hasta luego amigos!