Latitude 38 - November 2017-2018

from Latitude 38 - November 2017-2018

world of chartering

CHANGES

Fonatur basics into a real marina."

David also recommended that folks heading to Mexico follow the instructions in the Mexican government publication called Visiting Mexico by Private Boat, a copy of which can be found at www. marinapuertoescondido.com/mpe-images/boating-guide-1.pdf. . To which the Wanderer says, no, no, no! If you follow those instructions, the skipper and every single member of the crew will have to leave Mexico at the same place and at the same time. That means, at the very least, everybody has to waste an hour or more at Immigration purchasing new tourist cards for about $25 each. The unexpected wasted time has caused people to miss their flights in the past.

If you're taking your boat to Mexico for the first time, the Wanderer has the following advice. First, do not drive yourself nuts trying to get a TIP (Temporary Import Permit) online. Some people have been successful, but the instructions are terrible and there are inadvertent traps that may have you putting the wrong information on the TIP. This won't be a problem — unless the Mexican government goes on a persnickety bender as

If paying just $50 for a Ten-Year (!) Import Permit for your boat doesn't have you jumping for joy, you know nothing about the world of cruising.

they did about four years ago.

The TIP solution is simple — get your TIP at just about any of the big Mexican consulates — among them, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, or Sacramento. Baja

LATITUDE / RICHARD

Ha-Ha entrants who have done it say the clerks were very friendly and it only took 10 to 20 minutes. Note that you cannot get a boat TIP at the consulates in San Francisco or San Diego. But if you're in San Diego, just go to the Customs office at Otay Mesa and you can get a TIP in a few minutes.

For a complete list of all the Mexican consulates and ports of entry on the California border where you can get a TIP, go to www.banjercito.com.mx/PDF/ Modulos_iitv.pdf.

As for 180-day tourist cards — or whatever they call them now — we'd simply get them at Immigration in Ensenada, if it's your first stop, or Cabo San Lucas if that's your first stop. This based on the recommendation of Victor Barreda, ship's agent in Cabo.

There are so many older couples quietly out cruising that it's hard to fathom. Couples like Eric and Pam Sellix of the Clatskanie, Oregon-based Seawind 1160 cat Pied-a-Mer. The former restaurant owners didn't start cruising until 2012 when they were both 68. And Pam had never been offshore before.

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Page 116 • Latitude 38 • November, 2017

IN LATITUDES

Two years ago Pam wrote, "Even though Eric and I were in our late 60s before doing our first Ha-Ha in 2012, and I had never been offshore, we have been having an absolutely fabulous time cruising. We did a second Ha-Ha in 2014, did the Puddle Jump in 2015, and are now cruising the east coast of Australia."

The couple are currently in Samoa, working their way back to Oregon, California and Mexico. The Wanderer sends out his love and respect to Eric and Pam — and all the other seniors out there quietly cruising all over the globe. What you have accomplished — and are continuing to accomplish — is an inspiration.

You can be excused if you think the accompanying photo on the right is of somewhere in the Sea of Cortez. It's actually of Little Harbor on the backside of Catalina. It's uncrowded because the photo was taken in late September when most boats were in their berths because the kids were back in school. If it looks warm, it's because it was. And water temps were in the low 70s at that time around most of Catalina. Fall is the best time for cruising in Southern California.

The photo was taken by Beverly van de Velde of Rochambeau, the Marina del Rey-based Lagoon 40. The Wanderer and Doña de Mallorca had met Beverly and her husband Rolf van de Velde while sharing the Paradise Cove anchorage in September. Great folks.

Rob Spatkowski of the sailing vessel Reka forwarded secondhand reports that the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica were both hit by tropical storm and then Hurricane Nate, even though the

Beverly van de Velde's photo of Catalina's Little Harbor has it looking like some remote bay in the Sea of Cortez.

eye of that storm was in the Caribbean and went up into the Gulf Coast of the United States.

Some claim it was the worst storm to hit Nicaragua in 30 years. Even though the Nicaraguan port of San Juan del Sur

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