Checking Out

So once again, after Oaxaca City, we got back to the Chahue Marina and made ready to depart Mexico. Of course, since it is Mexico, everything moves in Mexican Time (i.e. kind of slow, but in a friendly way!). For instance, we started the process of getting fuel on Monday, on Thursday, we finally got 5 14-gallon containers delivered to the dock, where we had to siphon them into the tanks. We also went and bought 4 5-gallon containers and took a taxi to the gas station to fill them and bring them back to the boat to "top off" the tanks.

We went to the Capitania de Puerto, in nearby Santa Cruz, to check out of the country and get our Zarpe, the equivalent of an international visa, for the boat. After filling out a few forms, the officer told us to go next to La Migracion (Immigration), then Aduana (Customs), then return all of the paperwork to the Capitania to finalize it. That process took about 3 days when all was said and done.

We did a final provision run, notably getting beer and tequila, as well as a trip to a Carneceria to get a goodly supply of fresh beef for me, ans I changed the oil in the engine and generator, getting RHAPSODY ship shape for the journey to come.

On Thursday, we went up to the office and paid our marina bill (once again, not without some difficulty as Visa required a phone call to their anti-fraud unit before the credit card would work), and we were ready to go. So on Friday, April 4th, at about 2:00 in the afternoon, with all of our paperwork in hand, with RHAPSODY filled with provisions and fuel, we departed Marina Chahue for a quick stop in nearby Tangolunda Bay to make water and spend the night before finally leaving Mexico for our 500 nm leg to the country of El Salvador and the new adventures we will find there and beyond.