Browsing: Mexico

Cruising Life
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After a Year in Mexico, Tangaroa Heads North

Tom Campbell and Beth Davidow have spent the past year cruising, diving and filming on their Maritimo 51 in Mexico, primarily in the Sea of Cortez. Now, the couple (he’s 80 and a wildlife and underwater cinematographer, she’s a scientist and documentary filmmaker) are heading north, up the Pacific side of the Baja Peninsula, ready to pursue the next stage in their five-year cruising adventure. Campbell and Davidow bought their new Maritimo, named Tangaroa, last February from Bill King of Maritimo Yacht Sales in Newport Harbor, California. They decided to live aboard full time, cruising and producing documentaries, starting in…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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After One Baja Bash and 4,000 nm, Red Rover Comes Home

One Baja Bash and 4,000 nm later, Red Rover, the well-traveled 2005 Nordhavn 55, is back home in the United States after cruising in Mexico both before and during the time of coronavirus. Back in 2016, Kevin and Allison Jeffries, lifelong boaters, sold their house in Seattle and moved aboard Red Rover full time with their two shelter dogs, Zoe and Max. Their children were grown, and they’ve been cruising ever since. Last October, the Jeffries cruised down to Mexico; they went as far south as the far side of Puerto Vallarta before heading back to the Loreto in the…

Cruising Life
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Mexico Restricts Some Boating Due to Pandemic

Mexico is limiting boating activities in its ports due to the coronavirus pandemic. The country’s Maritime Authority recently issued a directive, #13, to all port captains spelling out the restrictions. The directive told the port captains they could not authorize the clearance or departure of passenger vessels for-hire, whether they carried Mexican flags or those from other countries. They also had to shut down all boats operating with Nautical Tourism permits – including charter boats, dive boats, sportfishing boats, sunset-cruise boats and whale-watching boats. For other recreational boats, the directive said that “ports in Mexico are not closed to navigation.”…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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Cruising in Mexico: “What We’ve Learned So Far”

After cruising in Mexico since October on their 2005 Nordhavn 55 Red Rover, Kevin and Allison Jeffries took a break recently to fly home to Seattle for the big boat show there. The time away from the boat gave them the chance to reflect on their trip, and to put together some thoughts that might help other cruising people heading that way. The Jeffries (and their two shelter dogs, Zoe and Max) are hardly new to cruising. They’ve put more than 6,000 nm under their hull since they sold their house in Seattle and moved aboard Red Rover full time…

Cruising Life
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Popular Panama Posse Fleet Will Leave Mexico in December

The rapidly growing annual Panama Possé, a fleet of some 150 boats, will leave from Mexico on Dec. 5 for a 2,000 nm cruise to Panama. It is timed to pick up after the CUBAR fleet from San Diego ends its own voyage in La Paz. This year will be the third for the Panama Possé, which started with just 83 boats. It now will have power and sail vessels from 27 to 225 feet, and it will make stops in seven countries – Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama. It will start at Marina Puerto…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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After Three Months in Mexico, the Schultes Head South on Their Grand Banks 42 Bumfuzzle

After three months in Mexico, Pat Schulte, his wife Ali, daughter Ouest, 9, and son Lowe, 7, are heading south on their 1986 Grand Banks 42 Bumfuzzle, continuing to live the dream, no matter what country they’re in. They arrived in Isla Mujeres from Key West in January. Pat took the boat over by himself since Ali and the kids were back home in Minnesota visiting family. (That wasn’t exactly the way they planned it, but a weather window opened up, and he took advantage of it.) They enjoyed their time there, touring the Yucatan, celebrating Carnaval (it was pretty…

Cruising Life
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Sign Up Now for CUBAR Rally Next Fall from San Diego to La Paz, Mexico

Planning for next fall’s CUBAR rally, 910 nm from San Diego to La Paz, Mexico, is well underway, with a kickoff dinner on May 18 at the San Diego Yacht Club. The rally, which is open to powerboats with a minimum range of 450 nm at 8.5 knots, is one of the major events on the West Coast every two years, and includes shore parties, overnight cruises, fishing, kayaking, dinghy explorations and all the fun and challenges involved in blue-water cruising. This year’s rally starts on Nov. 4 and is expected to end in La Paz on Nov. 20, with…

Cruising Life
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Cruising in Mexico This Winter: Nine Destinations, Strung Like Jewels on a Golden Crown

If you’re on the West Coast, you may want to think about taking a cruise to Mexico this winter. The weather’s great, the anchorages and marinas aren’t crowded, and you can enjoy a different kind of cruising vacation. Here’s a compelling story about the advantages of taking such a cruise this winter, with a sample itinerary, from Sea magazine. Take a look: Mexico’s Gold Coast: a series of nine beautiful boating destinations and pristine anchorages strung like jewels on a golden crown. Together they provide several months’ worth of winter cruising pleasure. Here’s one winter cruising itinerary for Mexico’s Gold…

Cruising Life
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In Light of State Department Warnings, How Safe is Mexico Today? The Log Has Some Answers

Travel advisories are often issued by the United States, but how dangerous is it south of the border? MEXICO — There are certainly a fair share of boaters who navigate to and from Mexico’s many marinas and boating destinations on a regular basis, giving no mind to the travel advisories issued by the U.S.’s State Department. Yet others might buy into this notion of Mexico being a drug cartel playground, with innocent U.S. tourists caught in the middle of heated gun battles. Traveling always comes with risks, to be sure. Some people will invariably have bad experiences, even if they…

Cruising Life
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Month-by-Month Itinerary for Cruising the Sea of Cortez, from November to May

By all accounts, Mexico’s Sea of Cortez is a boating paradise, a 570-nm-long warm-water cruising ground filled with marine life and some 100 uninhabited islands, often surrounded by white beaches with nary a soul in sight. The question is not whether to go there or not; it’s really how long to spend once you get there. This story from Sea magazine suggests an answer, saying it takes seven months to sample everything the Sea of Cortez has to offer. Why rush? You need to avoid the hurricane season in summer, but otherwise just relax and enjoy yourself. Sea suggests you…