“Courtesy” that is Required when Cruising

When cruising outside U.S. territorial waters and checking into another country, there are certain formalities (requirements) that are “standard procedure.” There are many and they vary by country. But, there is one that is the same wherever you go, and you must be prepared before arrival.

When checking into Mexico on a cruise south, I prefer to get all that “hassle” completed sooner rather than later. After an overnight run from San Diego, I stop in Ensenada. The good news is all the checking-in is done in one location – not always so elsewhere. The bad news is you will be challenged to do so using Spanish! (I hope you have some conversancy in Spanish!)

In the Ensenada Port Captain’s office, you will in turn conduct business with the following (and not necessarily in this order): El Capitania del Porto (obviously the “Port Captain”), Aduana (Customs), and Migracion (“Migration”). Hopefully, you have already applied for and received your Mexican “TIP” (Temporary Import Permit [required]) before leaving on your cruise – doing so avoids a lot of hassle during check-in.

So, you walk out of the Port Captain’s complex, wipe your fevered brow, and heave a big sigh of relief! Once back on your boat, you have one last step in the process – raise your Mexican courtesy flag on the starboard spreader. Bienvenidos a Mexico!

As you might guess, I encourage you to purchase all your anticipated courtesy flags before leaving. That is just one of the many items you should have on your pre-departure checklist! West Marine online would be a good place to start. That’s what I did to purchase all the courtesy flags needed for my cruise to Panama.