Today we took Dazzler down to Nuevo Vallarta to the Port Captain. Upon arrival the Port Captain instructed us where to dock and we waited about fifteen or twenty minutes for the authorities to come to the boat. Three uniformed officials greeted us and boarded Dazzler. Two were from immigration and the other was the Port Captain. They were all very nice. One of the immigration officers spoke perfect English which made it very easy.
Upon boarding they advised us that once the process was complete we could no longer step on land. Then they requested our passports and visas. All three began filling out paperwork. Dan had to sign several documents and then we waited for the customs agent which took another fifteen minutes or so. He arrived, inspected the boat inside and out to make certain we were not smuggling anything. That took all of five minutes and then they got off the boat, handed Dan the ZARPE and we left. The entire process took less than an hour.
So, what exactly is a ZARPE? It is the official exit clearance form you receive from customs and immigration that says you are clear to leave the country. When you arrive in other countries you must have a ZARPE from your previous port. According to some of the reading we have done there are countries that are very serious about this. Not properly checking out of your previous port could result in a very difficult entry into their country. Fortunately Dan is a rule follower and we completed our checkout to the letter. The fee for our boat was $288 pesos and they ask that you pay with a credit card. It makes the entire process much, much easier.
As expected, our clearance went without a hitch. It was far more simple than others have claimed but maybe that’s because we followed their instructions to the letter. Everyone was friendly and they even allowed me to get a picture of them although they are not allowed to actually pose.
Now we are headed north to Punta de Mita where we will anchor out and enjoy some well needed down time for a couple of days. We plan to make the jump on Sunday, March 25th.
Each day we will be posting updates including a photo, our location, distance from Puerto Vallarta, distance left to the Marquesas, weather conditions, sea state, mood of the crew and a few lines about what we’ve encountered in the most recent 24 hours. We want you to be a part of each and every moment and hope you will follow along. Make sure you go to the bottom of this page and sign up to follow our blog. That way you’ll get an email each time we make a new post and you won’t miss a single moment.
Until next time…
Jilly
