ONE YEAR AFTER HURRICANE OTIS STRUCK ACAPULCO
ONE YEAR AFTER HURRICANE OTIS STRUCK ACAPULCO
Hurricane Otis was the result of a tropical storm that rapidly intensified off the coast of Acapulco in October 2023. No one expected it and everyone was caught off-guard. In the dark of night three 20 foot waves came through the bay and destroyed everything. In one fell swoop the entire Acapulco Yacht Club was thrown on land. Four marinas were obliterated. Boats got swamped and sunk rapidly. 650 boats were destroyed or sunk. Some people escaped with their lives, others did not.
A longtime friend of the Posse, Vincente, who lived in the bay and managed several mooring buoys experienced a horrific tragedy. He and his wife, son, and grandson were sleeping aboard their boat the night Otis hit. His boat was among those quickly destroyed and sunk. He was the only one aboard who survived. The city was an absolute mess immediately following the Hurricane. Power, water, and cell towers were out and it took weeks to discover that Vincente had survived. Many Posse members pooled donations to help him and he was very grateful. The memorial for his loved ones is this weekend;
In the aftermath of Otis's devastation, the Mexican government sent in assistance to help lift the boats out of the bay and get the city out from under the rubble. It has been a long road and true to many Mexican coastal towns the spirit of recovery has gotten them far and, by the sounds of it, the people of Acapulco are still working to get their Port town back. We reached out to Vincente to see how he is doing and what he could share for Posse members cruising to Acapulco this season.
Vincente shares:
Buenas noches Capitán envío las respuestas a sus cuestionamientos que me fueron enviados:
A un año del huracan Otis le puedo decir que nos estamos recuperando lentamente en todos los aspectos y confiamos en que muy pronto tendremos el Acapulco de antes del Huracán Otis.
El turismo no a dejado de visitarnos tanto nacional como internacional poco pero siempre tenemos turismo en el Puerto.
La costa actualmente está bien dentro de lo que cabe.
La bahía en este momento puede recibir a todos los visitantes que vienen navegando y tenemos ya listas las bollas de amarre para darles un excelente servicio cuando sean requeridos.
Informo a usted que no fueron recuperados ninguno de los barcos porque el gobierno los retiró como chatarra.
Los amarres en la bahía se siguen gestionando a la hora que sean requeridos.
Informo a usted también que seguimos desembarcando en el mismo lugar de siempre.
Reafirmó a usted que quedó a sus órdenes para cualquier servicio o acciones en las cuales podamos apoyarlos anexo mi tarjeta y quedó a sus órdenes saludos
(TRANSLATION)
Good evening Captain, I am sending the answers to your questions that were sent to me:
A year after Hurricane Otis I can tell you that we are slowly recovering in all aspects and we trust that very soon we will have the Acapulco that we had before Hurricane Otis.
Tourism has not stopped visiting us, both nationally and internationally, but we always have tourism in the Port.
The coast is currently doing well within what is possible.
The bay can currently receive all the visitors who come sailing and we already have the mooring bollards ready to give them an excellent service when they are required.
I inform you that none of the boats were recovered because the government removed them as scrap.
The moorings in the bay are still being managed at the time they are required.
I also inform you that we continue to land in the same place as always.
I reaffirm to you that I remain at your service for any service or actions in which we can support you. I enclose my card and I remain at your service. Regards.
The financial toll of the storm is estimated to be between $12 billion and $16 billion, making it one of the most costly tropical cyclones in Mexico's history. The storm devastated the region, destroying over 51,000 homes, damaging more than 250,000 others, and displacing over 34,000 households. Additionally, around 80% of Acapulco’s hotels were affected, severely disrupting the local tourism industry, which is crucial to the region’s economy. Hurricane Otis caused significant damage to vessels, especially in Acapulco. The storm destroyed 480+ public tourist boats, and at least 33 vessels sank in Acapulco Bay. Additionally, some boats were rescued near Playa Manzanillo, and others were found in the bay of Puerto Marqués.
MEXICO ENTRY AND EXIT REQUIREMENTS
MEXICO ENTRY AND EXIT REQUIREMENTS
FOR FOREIGN FLAGGED VESSELS
- Paperwork and fees for the people (and animals) onboard the vessel.
- This involves getting tourist visas through Immigration and going through customs. Visitors need to provide their passport, crew list, and vessel documentation.
- Paperwork and fees for the Vessel to obtain a TIP.
- TIP’s are temporary Import Permits that boat owners apply for and pay for upon entry into Mexico. Captains present vessel and ownership documentation for permit. The TIP is on the vessel and the ownership of the vessel is unimportant. The fee is less than $100 and yet the paperwork associated with it is the vessel’s Golden ticket into Mexico. TIP’s for foreign flagged vessels are valid for ten years in Mexican waters. Foreign vessels are meant to cancel their TIP upon exiting Mexican waters.
When a vessel leaves Mexico without cancelling their TIP and this same vessel tries to enter Mexico complications arise. In recent years, one of the biggest challenges cruisers entering Mexico have faced is discovering that their vessel has an uncanceled TIP. If a vessel is found in Mexico without their ‘Golden Ticket’. The vessel can be impounded immediately. Only fees, paperwork and stress build in this scenario.