Boat work

I drove down to Ensenada on Sunday afternoon (April 6th) to start the boat work needed before we head to Alaska. I made it safely but not without incident!
Going across the border in Tecate, I got the Red Light (pull over so we can inspect your vehicle). They decided that the new flybridge hatch should have been declared since it was obviously expensive and being "imported" into Mexico. I got to spend about 30 minutes in a fascinating discussion with them regarding importation of goods from the US.
My negotiating position was basically that this was a repair part for a legally imported yacht (I showed them the paperwork).
Their negotiating position was basically that I had failed to declare something that should have been declared and they could legally confiscate the goods and the vehicle that imported them. They also had automatic weapons which noticeably improved their negotiating position!
After a protracted and interesting conversation, we mutually decided that a payment of $68 (cash but they gave me a receipt!) would be a satisfactory compromise and I was on my way.
I also had to go through a military checkpoint about halfway to Ensenada. While there were the requisite teenagers with automatic weapons, there was also a very nice officer (who spoke as much English as I speak Spanish) and we managed to decide that I wasn't a drug runner or a terrorist so I was once again on my way.
I arrived at the boat just after dark and discovered that I accidentally turned off the refrigerator breaker when I left last month (yummy!). So in addition to loading everything onto the boat and getting myself organized, I got to spend some quality time in the refrigerator! All's well however.
After a lot of reflection, I am going to walk over to Baja Naval tomorrow morning to make sure that (a) they are open and (b) they are ready for me and (c) I know where I am tying up and (d) the ballast is ready to be loaded. That will also give me time to find Gerald and discuss the dinghy with him (our new dinghy is over at Coral and I'm trying to coordinate getting that over to our boat with a minimum of fuss).
Anyway....just another exciting day in Mexico!