From November 21st in Chula Vista to November 23rd in Ensenada:

1. From being exhausted from rushing to finish installing new fuel/water separator and filter and numerous other last-minute tasks to waking refreshed and contemplating what fun things would we like to do (or not) today.
2. From anxious about making the break from being constantly connected by cell-phone and internet to feeling relaxed about not needing to deal with online stuff for a couple of weeks.
3. From being rather intimidated about having all the correct papers for the complicated-sounding process to check-in to Mexico and remembering to request all of the necessary permits, etc., to having all of the Mexican paperwork (well, almost everything) completed smoothly and easily.
4. From being unusual in the marina as long-term cruisers (Alison was invited to talk to a group of sailors at Chula Vista about provisioning) to being surrounded by cruisers on large, well prepared boats from all over the Pacific.
5. From being in an America town where many people speak good Spanish to being in a Mexican town where many people speak good English.
6. From a morning of thick clouds and rain showers to a bright, sunny new day.

We left Chula Vista Marina at 1 pm on Thursday and motor-sailed through San Diego Bay in scattered rain showers. A large submarine followed us out of the harbor entrance (if we had been 30 minutes later we would have had to wait for it to clear the area first) and we set off sailing to the south. The winds were not NW 10-15 knots as forecast so after an hour we furled the jib and motor-sailed again aiming south between the mainland and Los Coronados islands.

As we crossed the international border, just after 6 pm, on the land I could see a fence separating the USA and Mexico, with large floodlights illuminating the deserted American side. By contrast, in Tijuana and Rosarito, there were all sorts of lights, monuments, flags, and fireworks. We managed to sail for most of the night but the lumpy swell and light winds frequently caused the boom and jib sheets to slacken then bang back into place, making for very disturbed sleep. However, the skies were clearing by the time we entered Bahía Todos Santos (All Saints Bay) and our excitement at approaching Ensenada kept us both awake in the cockpit.

Before we left San Deigo, we called to make a reservation at Cruiseport Village Marina and were assigned slip D31. On calling the marina by VHF we were informed that another boat had taken D31 so we were to go to D24. As we passed D31 we recognized Thalassi and when we met Will in the Marina office we teased him about taking “our” slip. He had arrived the previous afternoon and had endured a similarly lumpy passage.

That day the marina lived-up to its name because it was overshadowed on two sides by huge cruise-ships, most of the passengers of which were ashore either buying last-minute gifts before returning to the USA or grabbing their first Mexican bargains as they started their trip south. Our day was occupied by checking-in to Mexico and catching-up on our sleep. The former process was much aided by the pair of excellent marina officers, Enriqué and Jonathan who (as part of the very reasonable marina fee): helped prepare all of our paperwork; drove us to the Centro Integral de Servicios; marshalled us through the offices of Migración (immigration), Capitán de Puerto (Port Captain), Fisheries, and Aduana (Customs); and answered numerous questions with great charm despite undoubtedly being asked these same questions day after day by other cruisers. We could have coped with all of the paperwork on our own, traipsing around the offices and communicating in our halting Spanish (as we had done in Panama) but having Ensenada’s Central Integrated Office and Enriqué to guide us, made the process much more efficient and painless.

After long naps and tidying up the cabin, we walked into town with Will and enjoyed a couple of beers and some nachos. The streets were much quieter now that the cruise-ships had left and all of the street stalls had been packed away but wandering flower vendors were still keen to try to sell Randall and Will a rose “for the beautiful lady”…which is always good for the ego. We will stay in Ensenada until Sunday morning and then we will scurry south towards La Paz.

The only surprise during in our check-in process was that we have only a 30-day permit to enter the country which allows us just 15 days to get to La Paz and start the process for receiving our 4-year, temporary resident permit (the process we started in San Francisco). Luckily another cruiser, Steve, had warned us on the dock that they were stuck in Ensenada for 30-days awaiting their temporary resident permit, having not realized that once the process is started in Mexico you cannot move port until it is finished. Pre-warned we, thus, asked to start the process in La Paz where we will meet Martha in mid-December and stay for several weeks anyway.

It is about 900 nm or 8 days and nights of sailing to La Paz so we will not be able to dally much on the way. The weather looks good for the beginning of the week so we should be able to leave on Sunday and sail most of the way along Baja California until the wind fades and we have to motor around the south end…of course, the forecasts will have changed by then and we will deal with what comes up once we set-off. In the meantime, we will wander around Ensenada a little more, eat a few fish tacos (the most popular fast-food here), and we will drink some margaritas and toast to being in Mexico, to the health and future happiness of our recently bereaved friend Nancy, and to our fond memories of Jere.