gringorio
Senior Nomad
Posts: 812
Registered: 4-10-2004
Location: Tucson, Arizona
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My first real Baja Adventure
This is an old story, but it was my first real Baja experience:
Baja by Hobie Cat
I can still remember the night we decided to create an adventure. My brother Brian was scrutinizing a map of Australia spread out on the floor while I
explained the cardiovascular benefits of paddling long distances. Brian seemed lost in thought as I rambled on about all the great beaches to be found
down under when, during a lull, he suggested sailing. To me, sailing seemed complicated and expensive. "Besides," I said, "we would have to learn how
to sail first." That night, we agreed sailing would be the means for our adventure. The next decision was where? I suggested a circumnavigation of the
Baja Peninsula as a test to determine if sailing around Australia was realistic. "Why not?" we thought, dreams are where adventures begin.
Two days later, Brian found a Hobie 14 for sale, which came complete with one free sailing lesson. The following weekend we had our lesson and became
the proud owners of our first sailboat.
Soon after, we spent a painfully long weekend in Puerto Pe?asco at a regatta, learning basic sailing skills in the great wind. We launched into the
ocean for the first time and proceeded to pitch-pole the catamaran . . . twice. In the second go-round, I flew into the wires and cracked a rib. And I
thought when you crashed a sailboat you only got wet!
After receiving advice from the regatta winner, Brian and I spent the rest of the weekend practicing and watching some heavy-duty competition. We left
Puerto Pe?asco with more sailing skills and a tip on where to buy a Hobie 18, which we did. For our adventure we chose a course that would take us
along 1100 miles of the Baja peninsula. Beginning at Puerto San Carlos in Bahia Magdalena on the Pacific, we would sail south to Cabo San Lucas,
around the tip and back north to San Felipe in the Sea of Cortez. We planned to camp on the beach and obtain food and water from the villages along
the way.
By the day we set sail from San Carlos, we had amassed nearly eight months of lake sailing experience, including three weekend trips to the Sea of
Cortez. We had designed our adventure to be full of excitement and thrills; enough to test our skills and courage, yet undertaken with sufficient care
to ensure our safety. One goal was very important: To complete this adventure on our own, with no ground support crew or reliance on a prearranged
safety network other than scheduled phone calls.
The rest of the story can be read here:
http://www.hobiehawk.com/BajaAdv.html
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Neal Johns
Super Nomad
Posts: 1687
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Lytle Creek, CA
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Mood: In love!
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Great story!
Read it all, Nomads ( and this old Navy Chief hates water!).
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64490
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Hey, if you looked carefully, this has been linked on my home page for a long time, under 'Contributed Stories and Photos':
BorderlineAdventure By Greg Joder
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Anonymous
Unregistered
Posts: N/A
Registered: N/A
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Thought that looked familiar!
Yeah, Dave - I knew I'd seen that somewhere!
Neil
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Natalie Ann
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2819
Registered: 8-22-2003
Location: Berkeley
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I was a little nervous for y'all starting out (thinking these guys gotta be half crazy!) but soon I felt the true spirit of the adventure and was
cheering you on the whole trip. What an adventure! - and an excellent read, thank you Greg.
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6796
Registered: 9-20-2004
Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
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Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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wow good read on a real adventure. I'm going to send this to my Friends to read.
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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