Regatta - April 20, 2024

Famed as a year-round vacation resort, San Diego also carries huge economic clout as California's second largest city. With magnificent beaches and two world-class zoos, the city enjoys a dazzling Mediterranean climate and a rich multicultural heritage. The surrounding county embraces forested mountains, vast desert lands, and miles of sunny beaches. It just doesn't seem fair to the rest of us.

La Paz is the capital of Baja California Sur. Try deep-sea fishing (for shark!), waterskiing, or just relax on the beach. Dine on local cuisine in the down town area, featuring Malecon, a mile-long sidewalk that borders the waterfront. In the nearby mountains, it is possible to go hunting.

Mexico's largest Pacific ocean port, Mazatlan has been called the "Pearl of the Pacific" for its splendid beaches and island-strewn harbor. The resorts of the Zona Dorada ("Golden Zone") deserve their fame, as does the sport-fishing which is known the world over, yet somehow the city maintains much of the simplicity and peace of its fishing village past.

Manzanillo is located between Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco and features beautiful, unoccupied beaches, excellent cuisine, and plenty of activities, including horseback riding, kayaking, world-famous deep-sea fishing, scuba diving and snorkeling, and yes, shopping. Spend a day fishing in the "Sailfish capital of the world" and your nights dancing away in the active nightlife downtown.

Hollywood discovered this little fishing village back in the 1960's, and since then luxury resorts and bougainvillea-covered villas have flourished in the delightful seaside climate. Yet hints of past tranquility remain: cobbled courtyards where the locals hold their markets, and superb sport-fishing just offshore.

Sail past Los Arcos, the soaring rock archway at the extreme southern tip of Baja California that guards Cabo's perfect harbor. This idyllic bay once sheltered treasure ships from the Orient, and pirate brigs bent on those treasures. Now Cabo caters to an international vacation set, and has a strong artistic tradition famous for its black-coral jewelry.

Ensenada is a pleasant combination of a fishing port and tourist center and is a very accomodating city. Visit La Bufadora, a geyser that spouts saltwater more than sixty feet up into the air and is one of biggest blowholes in North America. Outdoor enthusiasts will love the mountain climbing, beachcombing and hiking and Ensenada is a great place from which to begin your trek in the Baja's outback.