To Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico

The smell changes every time you cross this particular imaginary line. Without much wind we are motoring along in a flat calm sea, probably 15 or so miles off the coast, still in full view of the many lights coming from this busy part of the coast. Looking away from land, while less, there are still a multitude of lights coming from the many container ships and navy ships who very much like to announce their position on the radio right when the off watch person has gotten all the way asleep. This’ll be Karma’s third country and with a slightly more complicated check in process and a change of language it sort of feels as if we are taking a bit step off into the wider world aboard the boat this time. All the lights, night time traffic, and that change of smell all add to the excitement.

With the current length of the days and the distance it makes sense to leave San Diego at around sunset with hopes to arrive in Ensenada Mexico by the morning. Ensenada, while a big port, geographically and bureaucratically doesn’t allow for yachts to anchor so alongside the dock we must tie. We are hoping for a one night stand: check in, groceries in foreign lands with foreign prices, laundry (always more difficult on a boat than expected), obligatory street tacos and beer, all wrapped up in a 25 or so hour period from our arrival as being alongside is always more expensive than we are hoping to spend. As the sun lights up our first Mexican sunrise we catch our initial glimpse of the landscape from the water. I have been to Ensenada before a few times albeit from land, and Heather has never been so its all new essentially. Around the huge concrete models of the game Jacks lands you in the easy and wide channel past the break water where there are a few marinas to choose from for entering yachts. The almighty Cruise Port where people seem to get stuck for months, or the single finger, right on the malecon, “Ensenada Marina” where we’d be tying. 

First step and probably most crucial, check in. Canada was a breeze. “Go to an official port of call,” they say. Alright, but once there you use your own phone to call a number and do a 5 minute, “hello, yes I am in Canada! Very happy to be here. Weapons? Oh no of course not. Wine? Some. Passport number? Why sure its yada yada bla bla. How long? Well see I’m not sure, 6 months? Okay thank you!”. Boarder Protections and Immigration for visiting yachts in the US of A makes sure it portrays its status as a police state for everyone except citizens, who instead get to use an app on your phone that doesn’t work but just connects you to a surfer in San Diego who after your second attempt just admits you because the swell is good. Mexico though, this’ll be our first, actually have to go to offices and get stamps and copies and papers, experience. Hopefully the first of many. 

Thankfully our first time comes with a guide. Out down the dock, about 15 minutes after arriving, comes a nice lady who works at the marina for this exact purpose. We gather our boat documents and follow her down the street after settling with the marina office that once we have the ‘we are in Mexico documents’ we will show those to the marina to prove we are here. About a 15 minute walk down the road leads us to Ensenada’s Port Captain and Aduana office. Very hand here in this town they’ve put all three offices together in one building. The general process for checking in from the sea is sort of the same as when you arrive from an airplane. The catch is the airport is designed for your arrival, the sea is vast, you can show up anywhere so its up to you to find out how to get the same process done. Usually there are 3 stops: immigration where you get your passport stamped and you, the human, are legally admitted to the country, then there’s customs where they check in your stuff you brought with you, then there is the port captain who acknowledges your vessel. 

One building, three queues, some copies, show this stamp to the next window, some smiling and folding of papers later we are bureaucratically in Mexico for 6 months ourselves and Karma is good for 10 years. What did we say the next step was? Oh, there is a shower at the marina? Okay that’s the next step. Enamored with our ability to legally wander around freely in our new jurisdiction we do a bit of a saunter on the malecon, a word ubiquitous in Mexican beach towns referring to the walk way along the shore where restaurants and other attractions are. A friend from San Diego is here in Cruise Port, stuck of course, so we make plans to meet up in the evening as he’s got a better lay of the land. Out in the town we hit our first taco stand, one of many as Ensenada is a strangely perfect town for best tacos at best prices, and wander and explore. The streets are different here, same with the flow of traffic. None of the advertisements are for things we’ve heard of and where you think you’ll find one part of town you find another. It really feels like we’ve gone somewhere now which is an exciting prospect.

With a recommendation from our friend, we hit the grocery stores, planning for the trip down the sparce West Coast of Baja California knowing there isn’t much in way of actual big grocery stores until Cabo San Lucas at the bottom. Our wander around lead us past a laundromat at some point so we left our many items of clothes and sheets there before heading out with our friend to see where people hang out in this town. First stop some strange bar on the malecon which, while had a good view, could have been skipped. From there we go in search of pulque, a drink Heather was introduced to in Mexico City during a trip there a few years back. Off to a neat Mexican hipster bar way back from the water we go. Inside we find a single DJ and very trendy seats in a loft like space with exposed brick and only ambiance lighting. We are the only ones there but apparently its opened. No, they haven’t heard of pulque, but whatever its a neat spot so we sit for a bit a chat about where our voyages south will take us. Back on the street, tacos. Now that its dark they’re everywhere and we aren’t complaining. Writing this now after more than a year in Mexico, having visited many ports of call up and down the whole West Coast of this country, these are still some of the best and are definitely the best deal we’ve had. One final stop, apparently a staple of the area, a bar on the main street a few blocks back from the water with many a one dollar bills taped to the wall. Its a fun spot to sit and watch the seemingly random to us traffic go by and share a ‘caguama’ which is a 1.5 liter of beer they serve in Mexico in place of a draft pitcher. 

Second Mexican morning has us awaking alongside the dock and feeling like its time to go. Logistics day. We pick up the laundry, check out of the marina, do the final grocery shopping and prepare the boat for an overnight sail south to the first place we’ve chosen, San Quintin. The wind looks better to leave in the afternoon so once ready we slow down and essentially each eat one taco at each place we pass to make a continual grazing lunch until its time to go. Short but brief, thanks Ensenada for our welcome to Mexico it was a lovely stay. We set off around 4pm and had the sails up shortly past the concrete jacks pieces making up the break water.