Crossing the Border



Our Tattered Mexico Flag - Marina Coral, Ensenada

Negotiating Boat Traffic at San Diego

 

After considering the option of shipping our boat to Victoria, B.C., we decided to continue motoring north on our own boat bottom; yacht transport pickups in Ensenada were scheduled for early June, later than we hoped.  We told ourselves that we could save the money to have the boat shipped back south and start where we left off, continuing our southbound journey.  We cleared customs in Ensenada for exiting Mexico the day before our early morning departure on May 10th.  We had paid an agent at Marina Coral to help us take care of the necessary documents, including the receipt of a Zarpe.  The Zarpe, or clearance document, is required in order to leave Mexico and is also needed when entering the next country; in our case, good old USA.  We departed Ensenada around 6am and reached that imaginary line in the water, crossing the border into the United States at approximately 1pm, “we made it!”  It was time to ceremoniously lower our Mexico courtesy flag, but there wasn’t much left of it!  After seven months under the sun’s harsh UV rays and exposure to windy conditions, our poor courtesy flag was badly faded and ripped to shreds - a piece of the flag was completely missing, a testament to our wild adventures at sea.  In preparation for clearing US customs at San Diego, we raised the yellow quarantine flag in its place and continued towards the harbor entrance.  We could tell immediately that we had entered US waters.  Military planes and helicopters flew overhead, cargo ships moved through the shipping lanes, and navy ships were out on patrol.  Boats of every shape and size came and went from the harbor, a scene unlike that of Mexico where we had little to no traffic except at Cabo. 


Marine Traffic Can Get Tight!

As we headed down the marked channel, sailboats crisscrossed back and forth, yachts and tour boats sped by, and a naval ship bore down on us from behind.  We had to keep a sharp lookout and adjust to the reality of boat traffic.  

Java Watching our Backside

As we approached the Harbor Police Dock to clear customs, we could see that it was full and had to wait a few minutes for a Coast Guard vessel to depart.  We moved into the vacant space and then made the requisite phone call to the customs office.  Within 30-minutes, two armed agents in uniform came to our boat. They looked at our paperwork and asked some basic questions:  “from where did you depart, where are you headed, and where do you keep your boat in Seattle?”  And “do you have any meat on board?”  We had some ham slices which were confiscated because pork products cannot be brought into the country, even if it is cooked and packaged.  To our surprise they didn't ask to see Java’s immunization records, and did not conduct any type of search through the boat.  They also didn’t ask about our purchases in Mexico, or how much alcohol was on board, or if we had brought any plants with us.  They seemed more interested in collecting their fee of $27.50.  Like Mexico, however, they did have a collection of rubber stamps which they put to good use!


A Navy Ship Close Behind



Got d' Fever at the Harbor Police Dock - San Diego