Baja Bash to San Diego in Mid July?

[NotreReve]

Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with doing the Baja Bash in
mid-July?

[JPA Cate]

Three thoughts:
1) It's hurricane season; you choose how risky...
2) If you do it anyway, go via Hawaii, or at least well offshore, or be prepared for a lot of uncomfortable miles. The vessel is not particularly weatherly, and if the sails are old, less so.
3) Others have done this trip, but I don't personally know someone who did it in cyclone season. If you go direct, you will use a lot of diesel, and if the tanks are foul, you'll have filter-clogging problems to deal with in a sloppy sea. Wind and current against you.

[highseas]

In July it would actually be riskier sailing to Hawaii than up the coast.Generally the hurricanes track westerly,towards Hawaii.The winds around southern Baja are more southerly in July,you may catch some good wind sailing north.Once north of Turtle Bay you are almost out of the belt anyway.

[stacy]

I agree with highseas, we did the Bash in early July '98 and had a southerly up to Turtle Bay and then the usual to Cabo Colnet. From there it was calm. We counted ourselves blessed.

[JPA Cate]

Hi, Highseas, & Stacy,

Yes, I, too, think I was wrong, I had forgotten being chased by a tropical depression moving from Mexico towards Hawaii, so probably not a good strategy for that time of year.

Great for Katabatik to have had a southerly for half the voyage!

Ann

[NotreReve]

Thanks for all the great input! I was particularly interested in the feedback from Stacy, having done the trip in July.

[rebel heart]

I don't know where you're starting from but Turtle Bay and Santa Maria might not be certified "hurricane holes" but they're big, you can anchor in the lees, and there wouldn't be a lot of other vessels there relative to the amount that could fit in there.

[NotreReve]

Thanks! ...starting from Mazatlan