December 1 Baja Report
Sorry for the delay in posting this report. The original
email never made it to us nor did it notify us of the delivery
failure. So here it is, better late than never.
Archive: Current Baja Report,
2/4/05,1/21/05,
1/6/05,
12/19/04,
12/1/04,
11/18/04,
10/11/04,
3/10/04,
2/16/04,
2/2/04,
1/20/04,
1/07/04,
12/17/03,
12/1/03,
11/14/03,
11/2/03,
10/16/03,
10/02/03,
3/4/03,
2/25/03,
2/11/03,
2/4/03,
1/28/03,
1/21/03,
1/14/03, 1/6/03,
12/30/02, 12/22/02,
12/10/02
This winter our man Gary Morris will be keep you
informed of the sailing conditions in La Ventana Baja.
| Baja Update -
December 1, 2004 |
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The
wind arrives
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 Typing
is a little difficult after two days of "wound up"
3.7 here in La Ventana. The month ended with a two day
El Norte which brought big winds and bigger swell than many of
us have seen for a number of seasons down here. We knew
something big was on the way when the Los Angeles weather
forecasts last Sunday were for Santa Anna winds gusting to 70
mph! The bay looked more like the Pacific Ocean with big
swells on the outside and a 3 foot shore break which made
getting in and out a little challenging. The conditions
tested sailors and equipment...a number of sailors are
searching the camp for replacement masts and booms this
morning. The final count for November sailing days is
14, which is a little less than average. Most days were
on the light side, but hopefully December will increase both
the strength and number of windy days.
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The
great winds the last two days enabled me to get some
serious time on the new Angulo Chango 75 and 65.
The Chango 75 was perfect with a 4.7 and 4.2, and the 65
shined with a 3.7. Both boards have a similar smooth
ride in bump and jump conditions, but what really sets the
standard for these boards is how they turn. It really
isn't a surprise that Angulo knows how to shape a board that
turns well. Long jibes or quick bottom turns...these
boards love them all. They remind me of the RRD Wave
Ones which were arguably one of the best all-around boards
ever made. The Wave One may have had a little more on
the top end, but the Changos seem to have a softer ride in the
chop. I'll send more feed back as other sailors get out
on them.
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Adding to the excitement in November was the SCORE
International Baja 1000 Off Road race, which finished in La
Paz on the 18th. A group of us spent the night and
following day enjoying the excitement and celebrations as 295
entrants did their best to drive 1000 off road miles from
Ensenada to La Paz. Thanks to my good friend, George
Hinton - the official starter/finisher for the Baja races, the
La Ventana group had front row seats at the finish line
with the Baja 1000 officials. Team Honda's Johnny
Campbell and Steve Hengeveld rode their factory Honda to an
impressive 8th straight Baja win, making it from Ensenada to
La Paz in just over 16 hours. I doubt that many of
us could do that on Mex 1, much less through the desert!
The physical endurance and courage of the men and women who
live for off-road racing in impressive. Equally
impressive are the specialized machines that take the
back roads of Baja at over 100 mph...does your Ford or Chev
pick up have 900 hp and 36" of wheel travel? Good
sailing, Gary & Nancy
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Gary and Nancy run the Windance Rental
& Demo Center in the summer, and spend the winter on the beach in La Ventana, BCS Mexico.
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