Clearance in Mar del Plata – as of Nov 22/17

I have submitted a long report about my experience clearing in and out here (see adjacent), however important to note are the safety requirements for visiting International yachts, as this caught me out.

The Prefecture demands that international vessels are classified as “Veleros Oceanicos” and have a list of safety requirements that boats must comply with before clearance is granted. There is a link to the list in my report adjacent.

This includes the requirement to have a certified life raft, six parachute flares and six handheld flares. The chief of Prefecture for the Coastguard department has given me the right to have no sextant on board. All other requirements apply. I had a total of four inspections.

Getting a Permit to Malvinas/Falklands – from Omar Sanchez:

The bureaucracy has unfortunately increased and now it takes about 40-45 days to get the permit to go to Malvinas/Falklands.

That is why this year some foreign sailors have preferred to return to Punta del Este in Uruguay and to make the dispatch to the Malvinas from there, without touching Argentine ports to Malvinas.
This does not invalidate the rule that establishes the daily position report in Argentine waters.

Our thanks to Henk Boersma for these updates.

Puerto Williams Update:
Recently the “SAG” (these are the people responsible for avoiding alien flora and fauna arriving on Chilean soil) started implementing a law that no fresh fruit, vegetables or meat can be brought into the country. All will be confiscated and destroyed. Threats with fines for not complying are in the air.

For years this has been the rule in the rest of the country, however now PW is included as well which doesn’t make sense. Maybe it will blow over.
For the charter boats that do their shopping in Ushuaia (Argentina), this new rule forces a change of plan… The problem is of course, that there are no reliable supplies in Puerto Williams!

Ushuaia Update:
All is quiet on the customs front, apart from some issues which involved Argentine sailors with foreign flagged boats. They are still fussy about arriving or going to the Falklands without a permit.

Cruising the Beagle Channel
For cruising the Beagle Channel as far as Staten Island, no zarpe is required for trips to Lapataia and Islas Bridges but the Prefecture must be notified before you leave with the details of your trip. Anywhere further out, and you must pay a visit to the Prefecture for a zarpe.