The Baja California Travel & Living Webzine

Cruiser's Events in the Sea of Cortez - La Paz Bayfest 2007

Bayfest 2007 is just around the corner and the author says; "Think of it as Summer Camp for adults!" Sponsored by Club Cruceros in La Paz, April 13-15, 2007, the event has always marked the beginning of the end for the Sea of Cortez cruising season.

by Allyson Ban Os on s/v Virginia Reel

Click here for the Schedule of Events posted 04/06/07

In the days of yore – oh, say, way back before 2002, there was a wondrous event called Cortez Race Week. It died an untimely and sad death. As with all things magically wonderful and too good to die, Cortez Race Week would have found some way to resurrect itself, eventually. Thankfully, mighty little Club Cruceros of La Paz has hastened the re-incarnation of this Fest, its members performing CPR since 2005. LA PAZ BAYFEST 2007. Lo and behold it lives!!

For those of you who have stumbled into our paradise of Baja more recently, all shall become clear …..

Because La Paz Bayfest was originally designed with cruisers in mind, it lurks conveniently each year between the Banderas Bay Regatta in March and Loreto Fest in May. April 13 thru the15th are the dates to remember this year. So dust off your calendars and have a look, then check your charts…’tis marvelous to behold that these festivities form a kind of stepping stone pattern of fun events for those reluctantly cruising North to put their vessels on the hard for the summer. So basically you could say that La Paz Bayfest is part of a sea-going version of the old carrot on a stick ploy. Wait! That would make us the donkeys …… Oh well, come anyway!!! And land-based folk, your invitation is just as hearty – come and play. If you are reluctant to count yourselves as one of the cruisers, you can always approach us as you would a zoo – cruisers in their native habitat – strangely mesmerizing to observe (and after a while you won’t know who is observing whom).

More below..
 

And so, you may ask, what can one expect at Bayfest? Short and sweet: controlled adventures, none of them too far from a cold beer or margarita. Think 'adult summer camp'.

More detail needed? Try: Good food. Dancing under the stars. Dinghy races, bocce ball tournaments, chili cook-offs. Authentic cruiser-made music, beach games, Mexican Train dominos, children’s activities (for children of ALL ages), video entertainment, potlucks, and workshops. And if that isn’t enough we have a whole category of the mysterious, “Yet to Be Announced” things. (Hey, planning is an entirely foreign concept to cruisers – cut us a little slack!)

Heaven forbid that we should learn anything – but there are seminars. No, no, no! Forget the white shirt and tie, wingtips, Harvard Business type events. Picture instead a shady palapa on a sandy beach with barefoot Hawaiian shirted types. Participants may come equipped with pencil and paper (usually borrowed), but you can bet there will be a frosty adult beverage at their elbow. Seminar topics will include such weighty subjects as:

Skin Diving in the Sea
(Where to find a delicious lobster for dinner, and what else you can see underwater)
Coping with Local Paperwork
(How/where to get your fishing licenses and vessel importation documents and what it costs (bureaucracy cannot be escaped, even in paradise!)
Health Afloat – Life Saving and Life Comfort Tips for Cruisers
(i.e., it is always good to know what to do when your guest from New York City steps on a Stingray)
Summer in the Sea Roundtable – this is traditionally the most popular seminar. Your questions about the Sea of Cortez answered by seasoned cruisers who have “been there, done that” . These guys have all the answers, know all the secret spots and want to give you other useful information from their unique (if warped) perspective.
Knot Tying
(AKA – It’s Nice To Find Your Dinghy Still Tied Where You Left It Last Night).

Hungry? There will be food in copious amounts! The Fest itself will provide daily continental style breakfasts, juice and coffee for pocos pesos (cruiser budget). In addition we have planned for a rolling gourmet, serving some of the best spare-ribs and hamburgers this side of Texas. Authentic Cruiser Cooking – several potlucks are in the works. Still hungry? Within a five minute stroll there are a myriad of wonderful restaurants and taco stands – La Paz is renown for its wonderful food. Burritos to fried octopus, jamaica to frosty margaritas, its all there for the tasting.

What else could one possibly want? The piece de resistance, of course – The Rock to the Dock Sailboat Race. This is the event that started it all, and none of the magic has been lost thru the years! Rules are few, colorful characters, many. The boats under full sail are majestic, and it is rumored that the race committee can be effectively and cheaply bribed. The fleet is often blessed with a north breeze, making for an exciting and colorful spinnaker run to the finish where prizes, beautiful women (we will find some!) and cold drinks await.

La Paz Bayfest, April 13 to the 15, based at the Racing Club on the North end of the Malecon in La Paz (corner or Marquis de Leon and the Abasolo (for the map obsessed). As one of our more colorful local cruisers would say, with a slight German accent, “We will leave the light on for you!”

Be there! It’s all good!

Also See Loreto Fest 2007

For more information on Club Cruceros & Bayfest click here to visit their website

Additional Resources

Cruiser's Events in the Sea of Cortez
Buy a Cruising Guide and Read It!
Cruising the Sea of Cortez
A Sea of Cortez Charter
 

La Paz Beaches
Map of La Paz
Building Cruising Sails
A La Paz Resort with the Feel of Home