PNW to Mexico, on our way at last! - Page 5

mvweebles · 09-17-2023, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodlord

...... you will need to radio the port authority on 14 to get permission to enter port tell them which marina and slip number and they will meet you when you arrive the marina will take care of the paperwork for TIP and immigration they will drive you to the port Capitan office and make the process easy

......

VHF channel 14 is port operations. As mentioned above, they are hailed for traffic control. Not for immigration or customs.

When I arrived aboard a friend's boat 2 years ago for work at Baja Naval, we were "quarantined" at the dock until a health professional checked us out, but Covid was still a topic then. When we returned from San Diego last Sunday afternoon, we went about our life as normal. On Monday morning, we went through the standard check in procedure with the marinas agent, though no TIP required as we have one already. The in-person medical check was replaced by a simple declaration that all aboard were healthy and had not been sick recently.

As far as insurance, the policy needs to specifically state it will cover liability in Mexican waters. It may need to be issued via a Mexican underwriter though I'm not sure. Ours is via Baja Bound with Chubb as the underwriter. Coverage is $250k per person, max of $500k for accident. Cost is around $500/year for Weebles and dinghy. It does not cover theft or similar. Both the marina and the yard required it and both accepted the policy we provided. I have no idea what loopholes the insurance company has embedded to protect their profits but I assume having an accident would be a very bad thing and plan to avoid at all costs.

Peter

**slowgoesit** · 09-17-2023, 01:34 PM

We just pulled into Fiddler's Cove Marina in San Diego. Trip down from Bodega Harbor started off with 4 - 5' seas, 9 sec, and after we turned the corner at Point Conception, died down to 3' swells, 11 - 14 sec

Some Stats from the trip from Port Orchard, WA to San Diego
Total sea days: 12
Total days, including WX days in Bodega Harbor: 15
Total nautical miles: 1268
Total engine hours: 194.3
Average speed: 6.53 kts
Total fuel burned: 470 gallons
Fuel burn, (gph): 2.42
Average nautical miles/gallon: 2.69

We're here in San Diego till the 30th, then down to Ensenada for the month of October. Then, Wx permitting, South to Sea of Cortez

twistedtree · 09-17-2023, 03:48 PM

Congrats on this first major leg of your journey.

SteveK · 09-17-2023, 07:21 PM

This trip seems to be a pleasant cruise. A week of shore leave along the way. Waters getting calmer not rougher. All going well. Keep it up.

ddw36 · 09-17-2023, 08:13 PM

What is a TIP document?

mvweebles · 09-17-2023, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddw36

What is a TIP document?

Temporary Import Permit. It lists your boat and all equipment aboard as your property and allows it to be in Mexico. I forget the fee, but it's good for 10-years. If the boat gets sold, TIP needs to be cancelled or the next owner will have an issue if they ever return to Mexico.

Peter

PS - here's a link with more information. $55 for 10-years

https://www.discoverbaja.com/go/temp...t-importation/

ddw36 · 09-17-2023, 08:37 PM

Thanks, Peter. I tried researching it and knew it had something to do w/ international shipping.

Muirgen Afloat · 09-18-2023, 10:11 AM

My body doesn't want to believe it doesn't need to be up at night... so it woke me up several times last night to check to make sure we didn't need to be on watch. UGH! Still it was nice to be able to just roll over and go back to sleep and to have Scot in the same bed. Reminiscent of having him deployed, been a long time since we've slept apart..
All in all the trip went well, even with the two of us and our change of plans to keep going rather than stop off anywhere.
I know a lot of you do set watch times, but it worked better for us to have looser watch times depending on who got a better sleep. Scot was a little more exhausted coming out, probably due to being more aware of things and also not taking the time to sleep when you can rule. So I took a longer watch the first night. Those years of insomnia finally paying off YEAH BABY!! The second day I think we did better at splitting things up. For the most part it worked to just check in and see who was feeling more awake and taking shifts that way. Hopefully that will continue.
With the exception of my panic on what to do with the fast incoming cargo ship and having to wake him (still so sorry about that), I think I did okay on my watches... even having to cross the Santa Barbara Shipping Channel without being able to see our boat on vessel finder because of our AIS is not working (yeah that's got to be fixed before we leave here!!).
We have a list of fix it things.. including a few things that happened on the trip like the stupid port nav light that won't stay on, but goes on dim when turned off (WHAT THE FREAK??). Always things.
That being said I'm loving this boat life and really amazed at the way this boat handles the ocean. So happy to be in San Diego, to be on the journey and well just happy....

Even our kitty Cato who was a little bit freaky about the noise of the engine has finally settled into boat life and spends time in the pilot house with us.. sometimes even hanging out on the window seat...

**slowgoesit** · 09-18-2023, 12:07 PM

Need to correct what I posted above, as I neglected to add in the 54 gallons of fuel we burned prior to fueling in Neah Bay. Corrected numbers (if needing correction) are posted below in red:

Some Stats from the trip from Port Orchard, WA to San Diego

Total sea days: 12
Total days, including WX days in Bodega Harbor: 15
Total nautical miles: 1268
Total engine hours: 194.3
Average speed: 6.53 kts
Total fuel burned: 470 gallons 524 gallons
Fuel burn, (gph): 2.42 2.698 gph
Average nautical miles/gallon: 2.69 2.419 nmpg

Not too bad for a 90,000 lb, 41 year old boat!

Cold Duck · 09-18-2023, 06:20 PM

[QUOTE=mvweebles;1
As far as insurance, the policy needs to specifically state it will cover liability in Mexican waters. It may need to be issued via a Mexican underwriter though I'm not sure. Ours is via Baja Bound with Chubb as the underwriter. Coverage is $250k per person, max of $500k for accident. Cost is around $500/year for Weebles and dinghy. It does not cover theft or similar. Both the marina and the yard required it and both accepted the policy we provided. I have no idea what loopholes the insurance company has embedded to protect their profits but I assume having an accident would be a very bad thing and plan to avoid at all costs.

Peter[/QUOTE]

Many US/Canadians have/had insurance on their homes in Mulege. When the floods hit, the insurance companies paid out with no questions, even the second time. Just a good experience with Mexican Insurance. Doesn't mean the next time will be so wonderful but they were very professional.

SD_Compromise · 09-20-2023, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowgoesit

We just pulled into Fiddler's Cove Marina in San Diego.

Welcome to Fiddler's! Excited to see your boat around the marina and follow your journey! Hope to run into you around the docks!

-Rick & Sarah

ksanders · 09-20-2023, 10:17 AM

I have a normal American yacht policy through seafarers. It lists my cruising limits and has never been questioned by any marina in Mexico and I have been to several.

Your auto might be different. I buy Mexican liability insurance through baja bound even though I carry safeco insurance in America that will cover Mexico.

Muirgen Afloat · 09-20-2023, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SD_Compromise

Welcome to Fiddler's! Excited to see your boat around the marina and follow your journey! Hope to run into you around the docks!

-Rick & Sarah

Stop by and see us.. .we are here working on the boat.

Delfin · 09-20-2023, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowgoesit

Need to correct what I posted above, as I neglected to add in the 54 gallons of fuel we burned prior to fueling in Neah Bay. Corrected numbers (if needing correction) are posted below in red:

Some Stats from the trip from Port Orchard, WA to San Diego

Total sea days: 12
Total days, including WX days in Bodega Harbor: 15
Total nautical miles: 1268
Total engine hours: 194.3
Average speed: 6.53 kts
Total fuel burned: 470 gallons 524 gallons
Fuel burn, (gph): 2.42 2.698 gph
Average nautical miles/gallon: 2.69 2.419 nmpg

Not too bad for a 90,000 lb, 41 year old boat!

Great numbers Peter!

**slowgoesit** · 09-29-2023, 12:50 PM

Okay, I think I'm going to open a can of worms here, but here goes.
We're planning on departing San Diego tomorrow morning enroute to Ensenada, MX. According to the CBP website:

Pleasure Boats -Do I need to contact CBP when I depart the United States?

Whenever you depart the United States by pleasure boat/small vessel to a foreign country, you must obtain clearance with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) before departing. If you were issued a cruising license to cruise the U.S. territorial waters, you must clear your departure with CBP before proceeding to a foreign location.

No vessel which has arrived within the limits of any Customs port from a foreign port or place shall depart or attempt to depart, except from stress of weather or other necessity, without reporting and making entry as required. These requirements shall not apply to vessels merely passing through waters within the limits of a Customs port in the ordinary course of a voyage. See, 19 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) § 4.60.

Note: Any small pleasure vessel leaving a United States port into international or foreign waters, without a call at a foreign port, does not satisfy the foreign departure requirement. Therefore, certain fishing vessels, cruises to nowhere, or any vessel that leaves from a United States port and returns without calling a foreign port or place, has not departed the United States.
For more information on pleasure boats, visit the cbp.gov website.

Article Number

000001111

Date Published
6/21/2023

I called the San Diego CBP office, and they waffled, saying, "most people don't bother", and "you probably won't need it", but it IS a requirement according to their website . . . .

Anyone (Calling Kevin, and Peter Weebles!) have an issue with it, or with not having it?
I'm more concerned with departing Mexico enroute to Panama, and having a paper trail on board, than just clearing into Mexico . . . .

mvweebles · 09-29-2023, 03:28 PM

I always wondered if the US had some sort of Zarpe requirement. Apparently they do. I have transited from US to Mexico by boat about 7-8 times in the last 5-years, and at least a dozen times 20-years ago. I have never 'checked out' of the US, and it's never been a problem for me, including checking into Mexico in Acapulco which, unlike Ensenada, probably doesn't have many US check-ins since it's 1500nms south of the border.

That said, checking into any country (US included) can be a bit fickle and dependent on who you draw as a customs/aduana agent. Since you're checking-in at Ensenada, I wouldn't worry about it unless it's super easy to get. If you were checking-in further south, I would be more inclined to get one just to cover the base.

I'll ask around - if I turn-up something different, I'll update here.

Peter

EDIT - well, I looked at an old copy of Latitude 38's "First Timers Guide to Mexico." More or less mirrors what I said above - here is the text:

Technically, Mexico requires a despacho from
boats coming down from the States. In reality, we’ve never
gotten one or been asked for one in the 30+ times our boats
have checked into Mexico. And we’ve only heard of a couple
of boats that have been asked for them. In times when Mexican offi cials have requested them, they’ve never insisted on
them.

If you want to be a Dudley Do-Right and get a despacho/
zarpe from the U.S., you need to get Customs and Border
Patrol Form 1300 from http://forms.cbp.gov/pdf/CBP_
Form_1300.pdf. Fill it out, then take it to an international
airport and have it stamped by Customs.

There is just one slight problem. Form 1300 is for commercial vessels only, and you probably don’t have a commercial
vessel. So Customs may or may not be willing to sign it.

If you ask the Coast Guard, they will tell you that you don’t
need a despacho/zarpe for Mexico. And as we said, we’ve
never needed one.

ofer · 09-29-2023, 04:03 PM

"Any small pleasure vessel leaving a United States port into international or foreign waters, without a call at a foreign port, does not satisfy the foreign departure requirement"

I once came back from Catalina Island and was stopped by CBP in long beach, they were on board LB police vessel.

they asked to search my vessel and i asked if I can refuse. The answer was NO. they continued to say that traveling from Avalon to long beach i have passed through international waters and that gives them the right to board.

for those that are not from so cal, FYI there are thousands of vessels voyaging those waters and i assure you CBP doesn't get even one call.

**slowgoesit** · 09-29-2023, 04:10 PM

Peter, thanks so much. I think we're just going to forego the Form 1300. I too noticed that it appeared to be only for commercial vessels, but the CBP website specifically stated checkout was necessary for pleasure craft. I'll call in to San Diego CBP tomorrow AM and clear out verbally, noting the time, the phone # and the agents name in my log. That should be sufficient. Wish us luck!

ksanders · 09-29-2023, 05:27 PM

No issue at all, and I have been in and out of Mexico and Canada

Come to Ensenada.
Call the marina when close to get docking help if you need it.
Dock your boat
Call the marina anbd let them know you are docked
Wait for health inspection
Go to the marina office with your documents and passports

do those things, in that order and you are good to go.

Margaritas are on us if you get here tonight

oh it looks like you'll be here tomorrow night. We are leaving for La Paz in the jeep tomorrow morning and will be back on the 15th so it looks like we'll miss you.

**slowgoesit** · 09-29-2023, 06:46 PM

Kevin, you crumb! We were hoping to hook up with you tomorrow or Sunday before you went back to La Paz! We'll have to wait until the 15th. Really want to go through your and Peter's boats.