La Paz - General Info
ALERT: Hurricane Norma (22 October 2023) damaged dozens of watercraft in La Paz as well as docks in at least three marinas. Recovery is expected to take several weeks and could impact cruising boats arriving for the peak winter season. Addionally, a multi-boat fire occurred on 2 November 2023 at Marina Palmira with at least one boat sinking in the fairways. Investigation is underway to assess the full extent of damage to the marina docks.
Description:
Situated on the eastern coast of Baja California and tucked into the Bay de La Paz at the southern end of this peninsula, La Paz offers a very welcome sheltered stopover. The local cruising ground has many islands and attractive anchorages. It is the cruising centre of the Sea of Cortez, and almost all repair work can be done here. Parts can be obtained from the US and the postal service is more reliable than in other parts of Mexico.
Entrance Notes and Cautions
There is a new channel of approx. 50 meters west of the one described in the cruising guide “Sea of Cortez”. The channel is well marked. There is another new channel marked across the sandbar and along the Mogote side of that bar (the side away from La Paz).
There is a sunken yacht near the Mogote Beach which at low tide is only a few feet below the water. The GPS Coordinates for the wreck are N 24 09.914 x W 110 19.688.
Note that the port captain closes the port in heavy weather, so it is recommended to check with the marinas about the current status prior to arrival. In winter months especially, strong northerly winds blow for several days at a time.
Following the impact of recent hurricanes, cruising boats heading south this winter should be aware of debris in the water, missing navigation marks, hurricane damage to docks and limited berth availability. See the Sea of Cortez Cruisers Facebook page for more info. [https://www.facebook.com/groups/277885329386179/]
Position:
24° 10.60’N, 110° 18.98’W (entrance)
Last updated: October 2023
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Related to following destinations: La Paz, Mexico, West Coast (Mexico)
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Hurricane Norma (22 October 2023) damaged dozens of powerboats and sailboats in La Paz. Several of the boats sank in their slips at Marina Cortes and at least one at Marina Costa Baja. The high waves also damaged docks in at least three marinas. Recovery is expected to take several weeks and could impact cruising boats arriving for the peak winter season.
Addionally, a multi-boat fire occurred on 2 November 2023 at Marina Palmira with at least one boat sinking in the fairways. Investigation is underway to assess the full extent of damage to the marina docks.
Report from Maryanne Webb – Clearing out of Mexico from La Paz
This page (see Clearance section) indicates the cost to clear out of Mexico in La Paz is around $150.
This may be true if you use an agent, but you can also do it yourself. There are excellent instructions on the Club Cruceros web site – Paperwork page – http://www.clubcruceros.net/CruisingBaja/InOut.html
I can verify it is possible since I *just* did it (with help from those who have gone before) – and the crew aboard Begonia just completed the process today (April 5 2015) – and all that was due was about $280 pesos ($14 US)
Allow 3/4 of a day to get everything done – you can get medical a day early which helps.
Posted on behalf of Rob Overton of SV Akka:
We’ve spent just over a year in the La Paz area, off and on. Here are some observations:
All the damage from Hurricane Odile has been repaired. The new channel is some 50 meters west of the one described in the excellent cruising guide “Sea of Cortez”, but if one follows the channel in the guide there will be no problem, as all the danger lies to the west. The channel is well (and correctly) marked. There is a new channel marked across the sandbar and along the Mogote side of that bar (the side away from La Paz). As of this writing, there is no Fisherman’s Cross on Mogote to mark the channel across the bar, so vessels should rely on the waypoints given in the cruising guide or on the channel markers.
The port captain closes the port in heavy weather, and there are stiff fines for leaving port when it is closed (announced by blue and yellow flags flying at Marina de La Paz and Marina Palmira). This requirement holds whether the boat is in a marina or at anchor. Unfortunately, the captain frequently closes the port when the wind is no higher than 15 knots or so, when many boats would consider the weather perfect for a sail; so cruisers should check with the marinas about the current status. In winter months especially, strong northerly winds blow for several days at a time, so cruisers wanting to leave may be held up for a while until the port captain signals it’s OK to leave.
Cheers,
Rob Overton
SV Akka
Stevens Custom 50