Beseeching at Huatulco

Calm sunset

So 9 days after leaving Costa Rica, we dropped anchor at Huatulco (south Mexico) and experienced a frustrating 3-day official check in. We were dealing with an over-officious and uncompromising Port Captain officer in a matter relating to an irregularity in paperwork.

You see, on December 9, 2009 (just shy of 10 years ago), we had originally checked into northern Mexico at Ensenada on our way south. At that time, it was required for us to purchase a 10-year Temporary Import Permit (TIP) for Sea Turtle. Over the years, passing through many countries, we would periodically purge our files of accumulated and redundant official paperwork. In that process, we disposed of this Mexico TIP that evidently was still in effect even though we had exited Mexico years earlier.

A sample of required TIP

So the officious official insisted that we needed to purchase a new TIP. Okay, simple enough, right? Not really. It required a 2-hour journey down the coast to Santa Cruz where the nearest office (actually a state appointed bank) that could issue it was!

So off we went, bouncing along in the land of a million topes (speed bumps) in a hot crowded bus in pursuit of the needed TIP. Now if you have done any amount of travelling in Mexico you will have no doubt noticed a peculiarity of the banks there. When you approach, the first thing you see is a security guard doing door control and the next thing you see as he opens the door for you is a throng of beleaguered patrons in a long snaking line waiting their turn to understaffed tellers.

After the enduring wait, the teller began to process our request and in that she discovered that our TIP issued almost 10 years ago was still in effect (as we had tried to tell the Port Captain) and that it would be impossible to get a new one until after it expired in December of 2019. The only thing this all-day-endeavour yielded was the number of our original TIP.

So the next morning, we beseeched our stone-faced official to accept the only thing we could produce. No can do. Customs officials had to be summoned from the airport to sort this out. Eventually they came, and after they contacted the Ensenada office that issued our original TIP to confirm the existence of it, they prepared a piece of paperwork in lieu of. But the pillar of port protect was still not convinced. It required more phone calls and more beseeching before he eventually reluctantly relented.

So as the ink was still drying on the final check-in paper, we told him we wanted to do the required port check out, then held our breath. One hour later, relieved, we were out the door.

Needing fuel, we approached the fuel pier, where, in the Mexican banking way we waited in line. The tie-up was a nasty affair. First more beseeching. The fuel employees seemed ambivalent to the need to catch our lines. The tide was low, making the irregular concrete wall too high for the already inadequate protection in place, and as the surge came in and out of the confined harbour, it put shuddering stress on our lines and cleats.

Then to make matters worse, Jordan started filling the wrong deck fitting. He was pouring diesel into the water tank!!! Both fillers are side by side but both with obvious embossed labels. He admitted a stupid lapse in attention. He had heard that a previous owner of Sea Turtle had done the same thing and wondered how anyone could have been so stupid. Well, now he knows.

After payment, the workers quickly disappeared without untying us! More beseeching! But then they couldn't release the bow rope as they had tied it in such a way as the surge had seized it. Eventually they had to get a crowbar to prise it off, all the while Judy was bumper jockey scrambling about the bow to minimize the crashing of bowsprit to concrete.

What was supposed to be a 1-day stop turned into 4.

Having relating all these frustrating events, we have to say Huatulco is actually a very pleasant place but not necessarily for cruising here.

Anchorage:
N15°45.154' W096°07.655' May 12 Huatulco