THE NUMBER OF HA-HA KIDS HAS SURGED WITH RECENT ENTRIES
As of today, there are 14 kids under the age of 14 on boats that are paid up for the Ha-Ha.
The biggest boost in kids came from Lyrae, Mike, and Laura Jean Miller's Outremer 49 from Orcas Island, Washington. In what apparently is a one in 70,000 chance, Laura gave birth to two sets of twins! Forrest, a boy, is 9, as is his twin, Sierra, a girl. Then came Aurora, a girl, 6, and her twin, Coral, also a girl.
Another boat with more than one child is Jason Chu and Deardra Wildflower's J/42 Merlin from Kirkland, Washington. Their son John Boyle is 10, while sister Lilly Wildflower is 8.
Then there is Attitude, Alex, and Susan Jordan's Hans Christian 4750 from Oakland. Will Robbins, 12, and Margaret Robbins, 11, will be part of the crew along with their parents.
The youngest Ha-Ha kid is slated to be 22-month-old Emerson Gull, who will be crewing for parents Jamie and Nicole Gull aboard the Aspen-based CT 44 Jambo.
The oldest of the kid group so far is Kekoa Lane, 14, who will be sailing with parents David and Jennifer Lane on their Tom's Place-based Catalina 36 Grace. He may be young be he already has a lot of ocean miles.
Certainly not to be left out are Belina Chase, 8, daughter of Dan Chase and Naiby Hilton who have the Venice-based Shannon 43 Boundless; Aaron Beck, 7, with parents Nigel and Yulia Beck on the San Francisco-based X Yacht 46 Ara; and Henry Boland, 4, with parent Hank Boland on the Salt Lake City-based Seawind 1160 Empty Space.
Oh wait, there is also Finnegan, 2, on Benjamin and Jessica Eberle-Erwin's Tayana 42 Noctiluca from Half Moon Bay. You folks forgot to check the box saying you have a child aboard.
Ha-Ha kids should be prepared for face-painting at the Last Cheeseburger in Paradise Costume Kick-Off Party, the Bazeball game in Turtle Bay, where no kid is ever out, and when 22-month-old kids regularly get home runs. The next day there are all kinds of great activities at the Turtle Bay Beach Party.
Let's not forget Bahia Santa Maria, where the Poobah hosts the kid's jumping/diving exhibition off the back of the mothership Profligate, after which they get to hang out on the 'kids only' floating candy island.
Finally, Ha-Ha kids also get to be mystified/embarrassed by what adults — maybe even their parents — do during the Here to Eternity Kissing Contest in the surf of Mendano Beach in Cabo San Lucas.
All in all, the Ha-Ha is a great adventure and learning experience.
So kids, if your parents are taking the family boat to Mexico and haven't signed up for the Ha-Ha yet, let them know the extended deadline gives them to September 10. After all, it's possible that this may be the last Ha-Ha ever, and you don't want to miss out on being part of Ha-Ha history.
For those boats with kids already signed up, Assistant Poobah Patsy will be contacting you shortly to share your contact information with other kid boats. We know how important it is for adults to have their kids around other kid boats. It makes everyone happier.
A head's up to parents of all kid boats. Cat at Riviera Nayarit Marina in La Cruz puts on a nearly never-ending procession of kid-specific educational and adventure activities. She takes kids on hikes, gets them involved in beach cleaning, gets them working in a restaurant for a day, and so much more. She even takes them on overnights on the beach, so you can get a little much-needed alone time.
Looking forward to sailing South with everyone. It's only two months away.
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Kids are real crowd-pleasers at the Bazeball game in Turtle Bay.
And they're never out. |
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| Kids flip for the World Championship Catamaran Back Deck Diving Exhibition. |
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The divers relax, without parents, after the diving competition
on 'kids only' Candy Island. |
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| Emerson warms up for the Ha-Ha with near immersion relaxation. |
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| Young Henry Boland dreamily looks forward to the Ha-Ha. |
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| Belina, what a cutie! |
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