La Paz - Docking
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.
Note: 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).
Anchoring:
For boats at anchor, there is a port authority dinghy dock at the municipal pier where there is 24-hour security. Alternatively, some of the marinas have dinghy docks. Take care leaving your dinghy shoreside as outboard thefts are on the increase here.
The La Paz anchorage is not free as there is an API (Port) fee, charged based on the ship’s displacement. This usually is around USD$30 per month. If you are staying in a marina, the API fee is included in your berthing fee.
In order to pay the fees, yachts at anchor should go to the API office with your ships papers, TIP etc. The API office is located just to the right of the T pier in town.
Marinas:
There are several marinas, the three largest being Marina Palmira, Marina de La Paz and Costa Baja. All of these marinas have good gate systems, 24-hour guards, and video cameras. All marinas monitor VHF Channel 16.
Be aware that many of the smaller facilities do not have security, and often just a fence with a gate that may be frequently left open. Cruisers should avoid leaving any valuable items on deck.
La Paz Cruisers’ Net takes place Monday – Saturday at 8:00 a.m. on VHF Channel 22. including information on weather and tides.
Last updated: October 2023
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Related to following destinations: La Paz, Mexico, West Coast (Mexico)
Port Navigation
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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