PNW to Mexico, Panama Canal, and Florida, on our way at last!

[ksanders]

We're back enroute again. We departed Bodega Harbor this morning at around 0850, enroute to Santa Cruz Island. Bail outs are Half Moon Bay (currently abeam, and Morro Bay. Winds out of the South around 15, gusting to 20 or so. Seas are 3 - 4 feet off the stbd quarter, with occasional swell out of the west that makes it a little bumpier. We're chugging along around 6.5kts sog. Visibility is around 6 - 8 miles with haze. We were dodging commercial traffic off of San Francisco, but not as much as we anticipated. I've got first watch this evening, Laura takes over at 2200 and then me again around 0400, or earlier if she gets tired.
Lots of whales today, but no dolphins.

At this rate you'll be in ensenada by next week!

Where are you staying???

We are at Marina Coral on C float.

 

[SteveK]

I see you are letting Laura have prime time, kind of you.
Six hour shifts, just the two of you now. Those days are behind me. Stay safe.

 

[Muirgen Afloat]

Plans and all that. It's 9pm and I wasn't supposed to be on shift quite this early, but couldn't sleep. After laying in bed for awhile, I got up and decided to see if Scot could. Eventually our bodies might get use to some sort of schedule, but whatever. For now, we will try the sleep when you can approach and hope that we are on opposite schedules.
The seas have evened out quite a bit and we are cruising along at 6.9-7 knots right now. It's just us and an occasional freighter or fishing boat out here, so all's quiet. It's cloudy and pitch black, no stars when I look up which is disappointing, but I will survive that.
Enjoyed our time in Bodega. Got to see the Redwoods which has been a bucket list item of mine for a long time and got to explore the area some too. Last day there, I met a lady in the bathroom that had come down from Washington state on a sailboat. She and her husband were out in the yuck that we were lucky enough to avoid (really lucky after listening to their adventure of their travels through the nights one that including gusts of wind over 35 miles a hour and waves crashing flooding their cockpit). Anyway, we had the rental car for the last day so ask them if they wanted a lift into town. Found out they didn't have anywhere they needed to be, so they ended up hanging with us and we went to Occidental ( cute little town that was recommend by a fellow forum follower) where we enjoyed breakfast at Howard's cafe and did some light shopping, mostly window shopping at the cute stores, before returning the rental car in Santa Rosa and catching the bus back to Bodega Harbor. The day ended with great conversation, boat tours, and shared wine. Was a great way to complete our stay at Bodega Harbor.
Every day, I'm more in love with this whole boat lifestyle. Every trip, I'm more in awe by our boat... Beebe had it right to want to cross the ocean in his slippers... after talking with the sailboat owners I was thinking screw that when she said she was knee deep in water at times... definitely not the way I want to travel. I was more than happy to do a couple loads of laundry, cook some paninis on the stove, fix a cup of cocoa, cuddle my cat and check my email all nice and dry.... nothing flying around, no dishes piling up in the sink.. yep, I'm a little spoiled, but I didn't buy a boat to go camping.

 

[Muirgen Afloat]

Caroline and I will be heading down in October. We're in Port Townsend now adding LiFePo4, new chargers, controllers and solar too. Three years of cruising in Alaska done, it's time for a warmer winter for a chang. See you along the way.
-Pete

Alaska was beautiful. Kind of wanted more time up there, but wanted warm water more. So off we go. Hopefully we will see you down south!

 

[slowgoesit]

At this rate you'll be in ensenada by next week!

Where are you staying???

We are at Marina Coral on C float.

We've got reservations for Marina del Coral for the whole month of October. We didn't start our TIP until 30 Sep, or we'd probably head to Ensenada a few days earlier.
In San Diego, we have reservations for Fiddler's Cove till the end of the month.
We should be off Santa Cruz Island Saturday about mid-day. Plan is to spend a few days in the Channel Islands before continuing on to San Diego. Anyone have any specific recommendations?

 

[ofer]

that's a great island, many nice anchorages.

front side on the NW has painted cave worthwhile to explore with your dingy although boats your size have entered it before, not recommended.

front side also has potato harbor which is interesting.

there is big and little scorpion further down east.

good info here
https://islandpackers.com/trips/santa-cruz-island-sci-2/scorpion-cove-sci/

back side has Coches Piertos a nice beach to relax on.

and the east end has smugglers cove where most boats are anchored. also some hiking there.

 

[mvweebles]

We took our boat from San Francisco to the channel Islands many years ago. While all were nice, our most memorable stop was San Miguel at Cuylers Harbor. Very remote feel. At the time, visitors would radio to the ranger and arrange a guided tour based on interests and capabilities. Afternoon winds can pickup and we had difficulty getting the dinghy off the beach through the surf.

The anchorages on Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz are very nice, though access to the land can be somewhat restricted. Still, we enjoyed the solitude.

Peter

 

[ksanders]

We've got reservations for Marina del Coral for the whole month of October. We didn't start our TIP until 30 Sep, or we'd probably head to Ensenada a few days earlier.
In San Diego, we have reservations for Fiddler's Cove till the end of the month.
We should be off Santa Cruz Island Saturday about mid-day. Plan is to spend a few days in the Channel Islands before continuing on to San Diego. Anyone have any specific recommendations?

did you do your TIP online???

I say that because all the marinas offer a service for paperwork. They are real pros. And... even if you have a TIP you will need to go to the exzact same office and check in with immigration and the port captain.


The whole process takes an hour or so and all you do is sit, sign when they tell you to sign, and pay when they tell you to pay. The people from the marinas are all great friends with the people in the offices and they make the process smoothhhhhh

Lots to see and do

The zoo!!!!!
The wildlife park
Tour the aircraft carrier
eat the great food

 

[mvweebles]

did you do your TIP online???

I say that because all the marinas offer a service for paperwork. They are real pros. And... even if you have a TIP you will need to go to the exzact same office and check in with immigration and the port captain.


The whole process takes an hour or so and all you do is sit, sign when they tell you to sign, and pay when they tell you to pay. The people from the marinas are all great friends with the people in the offices and they make the process smoothhhhhh

Lots to see and do

The zoo!!!!!
The wildlife park
Tour the aircraft carrier
eat the great food

We went to San Diego last week for 5-days and did the check-in again back into Ensenada. The folks here really are helpful, though the paperwork at the Port Captain's office took about 2-hours for some unknown reason. But as Kevin says, you sit and sign when asked. Thats it. Check-in is $650-pesos (around $40 USD) per person and can be paid by credit card; boat is $543-pesos ($32 USD) but I believe that has to be cash and is paid at the bank so you can get cash via the ATM.

Important tips about using ATMs:

1. Only use ATMs at branded banks. I prefer Banorte as they have a very high daily limit (15,000 pesos or more). Although it's been a couple years, there are many reports of ATMs being tampered with.

2. The first screen will be the bank offering an exchange rate plus commission. DECLINE THIS CONVERSION!!!! You will then receive the conversion at your bank's exchange rate. I use Schwab and they reimburse ATM fees and provide a competitive exchange rate.

3. Alert your bank that you will be traveling to Mexico. Can usually be done online.

Best of luck -

Peter

 

[slowgoesit]

Kevin, we did our TIP on line. We'll just wait until 30 Sep to enter Mexico. Thanks for the tip (pun intended) though!

Peter, good information! Our understanding is that we contact the Port Captain, tell him we are inbound to Marina Coral to clear in, and they'll pretty much tell us what to do from there. So from what you say we DON'T need to already have pesos to pay entry fees, etc?

 

[mvweebles]

Kevin, we did our TIP on line. We'll just wait until 30 Sep to enter Mexico. Thanks for the tip (pun intended) though!

Peter, good information! Our understanding is that we contact the Port Captain, tell him we are inbound to Marina Coral to clear in, and they'll pretty much tell us what to do from there. So from what you say we DON'T need to already have pesos to pay entry fees, etc?

You don't need pesos. You will need some way to aquire them but you need that anyway.

Ensenada has Maritime Traffic (Trafico Maritimo however they speak English....sorta). They have recently asked boats contact them, though in unsure of that extends to Coral as they are outside the harbor where there is indeed ships traffic. Perhaps Kevin can chime in whether any instructions from the marina have been distributed - at Cruiseport, they have been.

When I left for San Diego, I simply announced on channel 14 "Traffic, Traffic. This is Motoryacht Weebles. Requesting transit from Cruiseport marina outbound to sea." They responded that there was an inbound ship and that I should wait 20-mins. About 15 mins mater, I could see the ship was docking with tugs, well past my intended route, so I hailed Traffic again to inform I have a visual on the ship (it was 5:30am and still dark). They responded "proceed, have a nice day ." Upon return, I simply hailed them "Traffic, Traffic. Motoryacht Weebles inbound to Cruiseport Marina." Response was "proceed."

One note: when I was driving a dinner cruise boat on SF Bay, radio protocol was to wait for Traffic to acknowledge before telling them your sailing intentions. Here, seems folks simply give their entire communication right upfront. Traffic responds with either a "proceed" or don't go yet, or they may give a report on traffic.

But again, not sure if this is common at Coral. It's about 2 miles north of the commercial harbor which is where Cruiseport is located.

.Peter

 

[ksanders]

Kevin, we did our TIP on line. We'll just wait until 30 Sep to enter Mexico. Thanks for the tip (pun intended) though!

Peter, good information! Our understanding is that we contact the Port Captain, tell him we are inbound to Marina Coral to clear in, and they'll pretty much tell us what to do from there. So from what you say we DON'T need to already have pesos to pay entry fees, etc?

You do not contact the port captain, let the marina do that for you once you are docked.

Last year we were then told to remain in on the boat. About 30 minutes later a nurse showed up and took my temperature, asked me some covid questions and went away.

The marina already had my COD, insurance, and passport, and they requested that I come to the office at 0900 the next morning. At that time Fernando drove me in the marina van to the port captains office to get me checked in.

 

[slowgoesit]

Thanks guys, I'll try and get some pesos in San Diego. I'll check in with the people at Coral and see what they suggest and just follow their lead. I thought I heard somewhere that I needed to call the Port Captain.

On another note, does anyone get Clearance Out paperwork from US Customs when departing San Diego?

 

[socalrider]

Do you really need to get pesos before going to MX? I've never gone by boat but have traveled extensively throughout MX for 25 years; been to every state. I've never gotten pesos in the US, nor have I ever exchanged dollars for pesos in MX for that matter. Any ATM can give you pesos at a much better exchange rate without the hidden fees that the tourist trap peso exchange places lay on.

Moreover, most tourist places will accept dollars as cash payment at a reasonable exchange. And of course you can pay with credit cards a lot of the time too.

 

[Nube]

Remitly is another option to get pesos. Worth a look. They offer a pretty good exchange rate and you can pick up the pesos at the Soriana grocery store across the street from Coral Marina. It did not like when I tried to transfer from Mex to Mex only from the US to Mex.

 

[mvweebles]

Kevin - when I checked in from San Diego last week, a simple affidavit from the ships master sufficed. No doctors visit required.

I am not surprised that hailing the port captain is unnecessary in Ensenada, but is a good practice at the smaller stops southbound. Again, I checked in with Traffic, not the Capitania de Puerto (there is a difference).

Scot - arriving is much more similar to arriving in the US than different. Getting cleared in is a bit time consuming but simply arriving at the marina is about the same as arriving at a US marina. With a reservation, just show up and stay in touch with the marina personnel. Elsewhere in foreign countries (including Mexico), just showing up unannounced is not a good idea, but Ensenada is used to US transients. Just be respectful as I know you would be anyway.

I have never "checked out" of the US, including last week when I left San Diego for Ensenada. This too is not common - departing a port requires a Zarpe, a signed and stamped document. This i am less familiar with. Mine will state next port is Mazatlan even though I may stop along the way. Cost to check out of Ensenada bound for San Diego was the same cost as entering (about $125 USD for two people and a boat).

Bottom line is coming and going from Ensenada is pretty easy and low stress. But my impression is that going elsewhere in Mexico requires a bit more violence. For now, show up and fall-back into the arms of the marina. As Kevin says, they will take care of you. Caveat: this is not how it works elsewhere. For some reason, agent services in Ensenada are free.

Peter

 

[ksanders]

Thanks guys, I'll try and get some pesos in San Diego. I'll check in with the people at Coral and see what they suggest and just follow their lead. I thought I heard somewhere that I needed to call the Port Captain.

On another note, does anyone get Clearance Out paperwork from US Customs when departing San Diego?

There is an ATM at the marina hotel.

Also Fernando is happy to take you to the bank ATM of your choice.

Staying at Marina Coral includes some nice benefits, and Fernando is a fantastic free resourse.

 

[woodlord]

Just a reminder that you need to have your Mexican Liability Insurance before arriving in Ensenada also the port Capitan closers at 2 PM so 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
We have are boat in Ensenada Cruise port marina highly recommended and very secure
Woodlord

 

[slowgoesit]

Just a reminder that you need to have your Mexican Liability Insurance before arriving in Ensenada also the port Capitan closers at 2 PM so 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
We have are boat in Ensenada Cruise port marina highly recommended and very secure
Woodlord

Thanks for the heads up. We have the insurance already in place.

 

[slowgoesit]

Just to clarify, by Mexican Liability Insurance, you are speaking of standard insurance, including liability that specifically covers you while you are in Mexico, correct? Not some OTHER insurance you have to buy, right?

 

[mvweebles]

...... 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]

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]

Congrats on this first major leg of your journey.

 

[SteveK]

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]

What is a TIP document?

 

[mvweebles]

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/temporary-boat-importation/

 

[ddw36]

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

 

[Muirgen Afloat]

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]

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]

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.