Community Corner
A Boat's Run-in With the Mexican Navy
The U.S. boat is evicted from Mexican waters. Here's the story that has caught interest of locals with private boats.
The three-quarter-day boat Malahini out of H&M Landing in San Diego was fishing at the Coronado Islands in Mexican waters Saturday when a rigid hull craft was launched from a Mexican Navy ship and sent speeding toward the fishing vessel and her passengers.
Captain Mike Schmidt said he was sure they were coming to check for visas. A recently passed Mexican law requires in their possession while fishing. Schmidt said he had purchased $1,500 worth of the visas for his passengers, so he thought he had little to worry about.
The heavily armed soldiers arrived and boarded the fishing boat at 12:30 p.m. After going through a checklist, the soldiers asked Schmidt to produce his Mexican boat permit—otherwise he would have to leave Mexican waters, Schmidt said.
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Schmidt said that with the help of a passenger who spoke fluent Spanish, he tried to explain that Mexico did away with the requirement for boat permits in 2008; however, the soldiers insisted he either produce the boat permit or leave.
Don Ashley, who is on the board of directors for the Sportfishing Association of California, confirmed that Mexican boat permits became obsolete several years ago.
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"No one has been required to have a permit since 2008," Ashley said.
The larger Mexican Navy vessel’s commander spoke fluent English and told Schmidt via VHF radio that without the required boat permit, the Malahini would have to leave, Schmidt said. He further told Schmidt to inform his passengers that it was his fault that their fishing trip was being cut short.
"He told me to tell our passengers that since I had not complied with Mexican law, they would have to suffer the consequences," Schmidt said.
Schmidt and passengers pulled anchor and pointed the Malahini's bow toward Point Loma. Schmidt issued rain checks redeemable for a free trip in the future to every angler on board.
"We did everything right," Schmidt said. "We had Mexican permits for fishing as well as the new visas for everyone on board. The funny thing is that they never even asked for our visas."
In an economy that has been especially hard on the San Diego fleet, Schmidt lost the fuel burned, crew wages and $1,500 in visa purchases.
"Now I can't even run a trip until this all gets ironed out," Schmidt said.
When contacted for information, a representative of the Mexican Navy said the incident is under review.
