03/15/2008
Not too much to say...just watch and enjoy.
| '08 Baja Bash |
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Comments [1]
03/14/2008, 200nm South of Turtle Bay, Mexico
The stars of this clip are Pete and Candice who had to work together to bring this tuna aboard since we lost our (ok a friends) gaff overboard. I had the pleasure of having them as crew during our Baja Bash from Cabo San Lucas to San Diego, Ca. Add a little white rice and wasabi and we feasted after landing this "Godzilla" Yellowfin as Pete called it!
| '08 Baja Bash |
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03/12/2008, Reflections on the Completed Baja Bash Trip
"Tres problemas Senior" is not the sort of thing you want to hear from the Immigration officer as you are attempting to check out of Mexico, but those words were exactly what were spoken to me when we were trying to check out of Ensenada, Mexico during our Baja Bash.
Problem 1: We had three people on our entering Mexico crew list that were not part of our exit crew, because they had flown home following the Baja Ha ha. The immigration officer wanted me (as Captain and responsible party) to provide documentation that these three people had left Mexico and that I was not leaving three "illegal immigrants" behind! Well, I had asked several people and they all assured me that leaving Mexico with a different crew than I entered with would be "no problema", well, where were these wise sages of information now?
Problem 2: When we left Cabo the Port Captain's Office was closed and we were "told by someone in the know" that we could just check out of the country in Ensenada and that we would be fine without an exit stamp from Cabo...Strike two.
Problem 3: One of our five crew members was a 13 year old minor and since he was traveling with his father, the immigration officer wanted to see a notarized note from the minor's mother that the father had permission to take the minor out of the country. Well, dad didn't have that notarized letter and with the minor's mom having passed away 11 years ago we now had problem No. 3.
I don't think is wise to discuss the exact details of how the "tres problemas" were resolved for what are obvious legal reasons. However, after some back room "negotiations" at the water cooler (read drop point) we had our exit documents stamped and learned some valuable lessons. My wallet was now considerably lighter. Once we were back on the boat and able to laugh at the situation, we had a good time with Pete, our minor, telling him how we now owned him after paying his ransom and saving him from a life of certain child slavery in Mexico.
The irony is that in real terms it actually cost us more money while checking back into the USA than in leaving Mexico. While in Cabo San Lucas we went to the local COSTCO and stocked up on USDA meats; however, they were confiscated as we entered into the USA. That USDA inspected "Kirkland brand" vacuum packed pork loin was deemed a threat to the United States food supply chain, while our illegally traveling minor didn't even raise an eyebrow.
| '08 Baja Bash |
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