Dropping Anchor Cancun

The sail from Cienfuegos,Cuba took four nights. We reached Cancun near sunrise and anchored at the Isla Mujeres marina. Isla Mujeres is an island just off the coast of Cancun.

After breakfast Mexican Immigrations stopped at the boat and processed our tourist cards. We waited for customs to arrive and inspect the boat, but that near happened, so the bikes were unloaded and we went to the ferry.

There was some confusion regarding the immigrations officials, which kept us waiting on the boat. Ultimately the motorcycles were unloaded and we left for the ferry. It turned out the confusion revolved around immigrations delivery our receipt for the tourist card. As the ferry passed the Stalhratte, the crew scrabbled onto the dingy and raced to pull up along side the ferry boat. The crew handed off the receipts to my out stretched hand and that was it. We had our receipts, which I didn't think would ever be needed...until I was asked for mine the next day.

Leaving Isla Mujeres by ferry for Cancun

I was on a schedule to meet Ingrid in Mexico City and eager to complete the importation of the motorcycle into Mexico. Speaking with people on the ferry I learned that the customs office would be closed by the time the ferry docked. Plan B emerged. Ride about 5 hours south to Chetumal and the frontier of Belize, process the importation paperwork there. The tricky part was riding 5 hours without official importation papers. I rolled the dice and  headed south. Luck was with me and I did not encounter any checkpoints or get stopped by police. The next day I went to brand new Mexican Customs facility at the Belize border and left with my importation papers. Now the ride to Mexico City, with no time to waste.