Boats impounded

jerry

Guest

The sailing community mexico can do no wrong type boosters get their boat seized and a few shots from cynics


If the Mexicans went cannibal and ATE every cruiser, Lat38 would be fine with it as long as they were not in the stewpot.

Great Red Shark, on 21 Dec 2013 - 13:28, said:

All I can think is that it's REALLY fortunate for the other 387 boat-owners that Latitude's own boat got caught in the net, or the response would definatly not be so heartfelt - with them 'embargoed' the story will at least be told to it's strange, bitter end, and otherwise I do suspect there would be some paternal head-patting and the usual "Well, things are different down there and you need to respect the laws of even a fucked-up country when you are a visitor." - al of which is true - but if I've read "it's more dangerous in Oakland than Mexico" once in Latitude I've read it a dozen times - and while perhaps true, they aren't recommending a cruise to Oakland, are they ?


Will be interesting to see how it all plays out, and I DO feel for the boat-owners trapped in a fun-house mirror room of latin catch-22s.
 
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mexicoruss

Lovin it in RP!
I can copy and paste too! Know the rules and follow them.



338 BOATS UNDER PRECAUTIONARY SEIZURE! Written by Craig Chamberlain


Strap in, this is a long one regarding the boats currently detained in marinas throughout Mexico.
Here is my understanding of what is required to operate a yacht in Mexican territorial waters. ALL foreign vessels located in a marina should have these documents available for inspection at all times in the marina manager’s office and maintain copies aboard the yacht as well;
As the owner of Novamar Insurance Group in the U.S. with hundreds of yachts insured in Mexico AND someone who has formed two Mexican corporations, I would like to chime in on the current situation regarding yachts being detained in marinas throughout Mexico. I completely understand the emotion this invokes – especially to have this unfold as we start the holiday season. When laws that have been on the books for years are suddenly enforced without warning, it creates quite a stir. Laws many foreigners are unaware of and, in some cases, are not applied evenly or correctly by authorities. Similar situations have occurred over recent years in many of the E.U. member nations causing heartburn for visiting boaters there as well.
It is my understanding when the authorities did their sweep of the marinas, some of the boats did not have all proper paperwork filed in the marina office(s). The documents may have never been there, had expired, were lost, misfiled, who really knows. When the authorities went from boat to boat to give boatowners the opportunity to produce the documents and no one was aboard, the boat was put a non-compliance list. The authorities may have overlooked or misinterpreted some documents as well.
It is my personal opinion the best way forward is to acknowledge to the authorities there was a breakdown in the document trail somewhere, educate boaters what is required of them before they arrive in Mexico with their boats. So they have the required documents ready to present to every marina manager when they check in. I think marina managers can and will work with boatowners as it is in their best interest to get this situation resolved ASAP.
The following documents are what we understand is required by a visiting yacht in Mexico. They should be filed with every marina the yacht enters AND these same documents should be kept aboard at all times while in Mexico:
Temporary Importation Permit (TIP), current vessel document, copy of the vessel’s Mexican Liability Insurance Policy, passport of the owner, and a crew list from the last port. If the vessel is corporately owned, or if someone other than the owner is in charge of the vessel, a letter is required from the owner authorizing the captain to act on behalf of the owner. The vessel owner/captain should also check in with the port captain upon entering each harbor (each harbor that actually has a port captain). Make sure the correct hull I.D. and document numbers are referenced on ALL documents. Typos are not excused.
This is more than a pain in the neck for anyone with a boat stuck in a marina somewhere, but these are the same laws that have been on the books for years. I would not want to diminish the heightened emotions this has evoked. However, as someone once said to a friend hitting on his wife at a party aboard his boat, “you can have my wife or a have a party on my boat but not both”. They all three laughed and the party continued. Hopefully this situation can resolved quickly, respectfully, and in a similar manner, so those affected by this can resume enjoying all that is so wonderful about Mexico.
 

jerry

Guest
Southern California boaters setting off south of the border have some new requirements to meet and a new fee to pay, which could lead to adverse effects on both sailboat races and chartered fishing trips.

The new rules were outlined by Mexican officials at an October meeting at Hubbs Research Center in San Diego, clarifying that recreational boaters would be required to submit an online application – similar to a visa – and pay a $23 per passenger fee for traveling into Mexican waters.

Enforcing the new fee will be the responsibility of the Mexican Navy, which is expected to have boats patrolling the border, ready to board U.S. recreational vessels to check for the correct paperwork.

The changes mean private recreational boaters and chartered sportfishing operators traveling into Mexican waters are required to pay $23 per person aboard their vessels.

San Diego boater Bill Davidson, who often takes friends out to Mexico’s productive offshore fishing grounds aboard his 25-foot Parker sportfisher, said the fee will severely impact the fishing industry in the area.

“The problem is that the fee’s only good for one trip, so the next time you go down, it’s another $23 bucks,” said Davidson, who is also president of the San Diego Anglers Club. “With that tacked on on top of the fuel, fishing licenses and bait, a lot of people can’t afford it. Essentially no private boater I know is fishing in Mexico right now.”

At Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego, operations manager Justin Kaullen said the application process is being handled by the charter captains, who then roll in the additional fee into the price of the fishing trip.

With the flat fee, it will add on $23 per angler whether it’s a half-day trip or a two-week trip.

“Right now, it’s the winter season, so it’s hard to judge what kind of effect it will have on our customers, but it hasn’t really effected our long-range trips so far,” Kaullen said.

In Newport Beach, Davey’s Locker owner Mike Thompson said the new fee won’t affect the charter fishing fleet’s Mexico trips as the charge is only required for boats traveling within 12 miles of Mexican coastline, and his boats can stay outside that boundary.

“Right now, the local guys are okay,” Thompson said. “But this could have a potentially huge impact for the San Diego guys.”

The permit requirement has actually been in place since December 2011, but Thompson said it wasn’t being enforced until the arrival of the online application system that launched this year.

“Everything’s really up in the air. From what I understand, the Mexican central government in Mexico City has basically told the state of Baja to enforce this,” Thompson said.

For sailboat racers, the new rules could mean trouble on courses traversing Mexico’s waters like the annual Newport to Ensenada race scheduled for April or the Border Run race in February.

Chuck Iverson, commodore for the Newport Ocean Sailing Association, said he has been in discussions with Mexican officials on the latest changes.
 

marybna

Guest
The things we don't know. We used to dive in San Carlos because the water was warm and the dive trips were cheap. Thee are 3 of us and we would go out 4 or 5 days. 23x3x5=$345 more.
 
From another forum

Here is a little more about it . Here is a little more info. Since President Nieto took office a year ago he has basically kicked the asses of many of the government agencies including Hacienda and Aduana. The new marching orders are "do your job and collect the legally due revenues". If my memory serves me correctly there was a similar shakeup during the Fox Presidency.

A temporal importation is required for entering and keeping a boat in Mexico. It is a 10 year permit. It does not automatically renew and no renewal notices are sent out. To obtain one you must present your ownership docs (US Documentation etc.) immigration visas and passports for crew and evidence that you paid the fee to Aduana. This is somewhat similar to the car permits. Marinas usually also require evidence of insurance.

If a Marina is lax or you anchor in controlled ports without clearance, or you fail to update your papers you are at fault.
Here in Ensenada I have friends at the two recreational marinas and the smaller commercial marinas as well as having friends in the boating community in other parts of Mexico. This is occurring throughout Mexico and both foreign and Mexican registries are being checked for current papers. They even checked commercial boats here in Ensenada.

I was not at the marina when they did their audit and had no problem at all. The only problem that came up was that the Marina needed a color copy of my importation papers which is new.The reason I had no problem is because I provide the Marina with copies when I renew my insurance, my immigration visa and my US Documentation which now an annual renewal. The people that I know that did have problems did not have proper documentation. If you are in a foreign country it makes sense to comply with their regulations or don't whine about the consequences. I doubt that Mexico is interested in seizing US Documented boats but I would not be surprised if they levied some fines..... You can use any part or all of this for Mazinfo.

After reading this, I felt a little better. There might be a little trouble out of the ordinary, but perhaps, things are being exaggerated as much misinformation has been given about the violence in Mexico towards tourists. Please, just the facts, first person, and not ' I heard from someone'. Bad press does not need to be passed on.
 

Roberto

Guest
If it is a temporary importation permit as it has been described it should apply to all boats coming into Mexico irrespective of where they are stored. Prolly even at your house. Vehicle permits are the same. You have to have one just to have the vehicle out of the free zone. does not matter if it is on the highway or parked at home. For enforcement, it's more efficient to go where large numbers of boats gather, a marina, rather than go house to house for inspections.
 
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