Internet Newsletter
From
The 90 Day Yacht Club Guide to Ensenada
Volume 3 , Number 5
A true traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arrival®
COME
JOIN THE CINCO DE MAYO PARTY ON
(5TH of May)
Cinco
de Mayo commemorates a Mexican military victory. On May 5, 1862, a
relatively small Mexican force defeated invading French troops in the
Battle of Puebla. Today the event is mostly a stateside gringo excuse for
a big party that celebrates Mexican culture and heritage, food and
alcohol.
THE NEWPORT TO ENSENADA RACE ARRIVES IN ENSENADA
The under belly of the new law’s effect is discovered by
influential
Yacht Club yacht racers first hand
The amazing number of slips available now empty because of the 1-year statute here in Ensenada was a shock to a recently interviewed large sailboat crew that participated in the Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race this past weekend. Perhaps the largest flotilla that has ever visited Ensenada found the marinas extending the red carpet for all the boats they could fit in the newly vacated slips. A year ago the overflow had to be moored or anchored in the Ensenada harbor, as the marinas were full to capacity with 90 Day Yacht Clubbers. But now all those boats were able to have the marinas do their entry and exit paperwork and were afforded much more comfortable lodging in a marina with all the accoutrements they are accustom to in the US. Many more boats seemed to linger, many more taxis were seen to be called upon, and many more dollars were spent in town. Above all this temporary 2 to 3-day action, an indelible image was left in the minds of those that were the here today and gone tomorrow race participants.
This website continues to garner near or over 100,000 hits a month (109,946 hits the last month in April and 130,526 hits in the month of May!) so many of you are reading these newsletters and are wondering just what good news could be next announced about the 90 Day yacht club’s re-instatement. If what this crew related to me about their return to the states is a common realization aboard all the crews in the race and resultantly is related to their legislator, we might soon see a change in the law regarding the offshore delivered yacht. Perhaps you too could join their efforts and help us get the 90 Day Yacht Club back in effect before the currently mandated July 1st, 2006 date. The captain and owner of the yacht interviewed is a prominent yacht club member that stated he has many friends that are going to wait until the 1st of July 2006 to buy their next yacht (this effectively kills two yacht sales, the new purchase and the trade-in sale). That date of the 1st of July 2006 will fill the slips here in Ensenada again as before and for the 6 months after the October 1st, 2004 change in the law. It's interesting to note, the new law jammed all of you to buy your new yacht before the 1st of October rather than the 1st of January as is customary in the initiation of new laws.
To put this in simple terms and on a smaller scale that even the detractors of the 90 day rule and those who voted in the legislature of California to change the 90 day rule; what if you bought a bottle of tequila duty free outside the state of California in Mexico and the US customs officials denied you the right of no tax on that purchase??? This is an inalienable right of passage handed down now through the years, why is this so hard to fathom? An outcry from the citizens of California against the political machine on this issue should be levied immediately!!!
The crew I spoke to was truly enlightened by the lack of slip space a year ago and the total difference this year and stated they would carry the message back to their yacht club and initiate a movement to persuade their members to contact their legislators and try to get the law changed and resultantly to get yacht sales moving again. This must happen if the industry is again to see the boon experienced due to the existence of the 90 Day Yacht Club. You also could help this cause by contacting your legislator and informing him or her that you are currently boycotting the purchase of your next yacht until you can take advantage of the 90 Day offshore yacht savings.
I continue to share with my Mexican marina friends that the worst must happen before the best can be again shared. As soon as the 90 Day Yacht Club is re-instated the issue will then be abandoned as a hot potato debate and the California legislature will just then walk away and leave it be. And the 90 day tax exemption will then again be a realized as a continued benefit and stimulus to the sale of yachts, aircraft and RV vehicles. Your help in making this a reality will be much appreciated by your fellow yacht club members, boat buyers, the many California marine industries affected and by the citizens of Ensenada.
Thank you for continuing to visit this free site; the mere fact that the site's monthly hit count continues to rise shows the support you are all sharing through telling others about this site and discussing the issues.
We hope to sea ya in Ensenada soon!
MEGA-YACHTS NOT
VISITING SAN DIEGO THIS YEAR
Could this be a Result of the Change in the 90-Day
Law?
A recent interview with Captain Ann Kinner owner of Seabreeze
Limited Nautical Books in San Diego revealed a disturbing consequence of
the effects of the change to the new 1-year offshore statute currently
mandated until July 1st, 2006 when the 90 Day rule is
automatically re-instated. Ann related to me that this year she has not
supplied any of the mega-yachts (100 feet plus) or the typical larger
cruising yachts with charts and navigational supplies. The average
purchase of charts, books and other related navigation aids in the
Seabreeze store from these craft has been $3000. Not this year though.
According to Ann, the docks in the San
Diego basin have been devoid of these money spending craft and the
activity annually seen locally as a result of these visiting yachts has
been unusually quiet. Could this be a trend that will last until the July
1st, 2006 date? We have already seen a California statewide
yacht sales depression- it definitely is a buyers market for those yachts
that would typically be spending 90 days in Mexico.
Seabreeze is the
most complete bookstore on the West Coast specializing in nautical books, videos, weather & nautical
instruments, nautical artwork, jewelry and gifts. Seabreeze is also a
major navigation chart agency. Since 1980 Seabreeze has been providing a
unique assortment of products to boaters worldwide. A loft aloft
contains more surprises and also serves as Ann's perch ordering books,
insuring you have a complete selection available whenever you visit. What
they don’t have, they will order for you. E-mail Captain Ann Kinner for
more information or visit them at 1254 Scott Street in
the Point Loma area of San Diego. We thank Seabreeze for their support
during the promotion of our books. The store also carries our new
apparel line and has included some other shirts for purchase to
commemorate your visit to the store and San Diego.
Visit their new website christened recently on November 14, 2004!!!
http://www.seabreezenauticalbooks.com/
E-mail- captann@seabreezenauticalbooks.com
ENVIRONMENTALISTS
TO FIGHT LNG TERMINAL NEAR ENSENADA
PRESS
RELEASE DATELINE SAN DIEGO, Oct. 12, 2004 – BP
to start shipping LNG (LIQUIFIED NATURAL GAS) to Mexico in 2008.
BP will start to deliver as
much as 3.7 million metric tonnes of the fuel from Tangguh LNG plant to
Sempra Energy in Mexico in 2008. BP and San Diego-based Sempra has signed
the 20-year sale contract. The LNG will be delivered to Sempra's planned
terminal near Ensenada in Mexico. Sempra
Energy LNG, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE), today announced it
has signed a sales and purchase agreement with BP and its Tangguh LNG
partners for the supply of 3.7 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas
(LNG) per year, the equivalent of 500 million cubic feet of natural gas a
day.
The LNG will
be shipped from Indonesia’s Tangguh LNG liquefaction terminal to the
Energía Costa Azul LNG receipt terminal in Baja California, Mexico.
The
agreement enables the further development of the first new LNG receipt
terminal along North America’s West Coast, while allowing a new LNG
supply project to move forward in Indonesia. The 20-year sales and
purchase agreement, which provides for pricing tied to the SoCal border
index for natural gas, will cover half the capacity of the Energía Costa
Azul receipt facility. In its initial phase, the terminal has a
total gas processing capacity of 1 billion cubic feet per day.
Sempra Energy LNG expects the first cargos of LNG under the agreement to
arrive in 2008.
Sempra Energy LNG is a subsidiary of Sempra
Energy. Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500
energy services holding company with 2003 revenues of $7.9 billion. The
Sempra Energy companies 13,000 employees serve more than 10 million
customers in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, South America and
Asia.
__________________________________
(01/19/05)
Greenpeace
Mexico and the Mexican
Environmental Law Center today announced new efforts to block
plans for a liquefied natural gas import terminal off of Mexico's Pacific
coast near the U.S. border.
The
terminal will be located just several hundred yards off the shores of the
Coronado Islands. The project will be part of a planned natural gas
distribution system to meet the needs of energy hungry Southern California
and Arizona. The project also includes a refinery ashore and a pipeline to
transport the vaporized product across northern Mexico and into the
Southwest US.
The Coronado Islands, 16 miles south of San
Diego, have long been held as an environmental refuge. The organizations
attempting to block this development claim the increase shipping traffic
and pollution will disrupt the delicate environmental balance of the
desert island.
For
years the Mexican government has protected these islands, not even
allowing the small number of pleasure boaters ashore. They
are a popular destination for day fishing boats from San Diego as well as
sailors and divers.
The
Mexican Environmental Law Center has helped five environmental and civic
groups file legal complaints against the authorization, arguing that the
Environment Department failed to gather sufficient scientific information
about impacts on the Coronado Islands, an isolated bird nesting area
uninhabited by humans.
The
islands shelter the Xantus'
murrelet, an environmentally threatened small black-and-white seabird
whose population is estimated to be less than 10,000 which breeds
off the northwest coast of Baja California.
Surfers are also attempting to block the construction of the refinery ashore, near what is know as Harry's. A cult surf spot for years the unique break offers a shallow-water right-hand barrel, which will be replaced by the Chevron/Texaco gas refinery. "Harry's is an epic, backdoor barrel that will go the way of Killer Dana if we don't stop it from being destroyed," said Greg Long, a San Clemente surfer. Former Surfer Magazine photo editor Jason Murray says, "If the construction of the LNG terminal goes ahead, we are going to lose one of the most dynamic and beautiful waves in the North Pacific."
__________________________________
Does the Land Belong to
Sempra?
(AP
Wire 01/27/05) A Mexico City businessman argues that
he owns the land 14 miles north of Ensenada, Mexico, and that Sempra's
actual parcel is three miles south.
"All
the studies and research and environmental analyses have been made on the
wrong lots," said Carlos Gonzalez Castro, the lawyer representing the
plaintiff. "All the (government) authorizations are for the wrong
point. The permits are not valid." According to reports on the AP
Wire.
A
judge has ordered a legal notice to be included in Ensenada land records
noting that the parcel's ownership is in dispute. Further action is not
expected until all parties involved have responded to the suit.
San Diego-based Sempra contends the lawsuit's claims are fraudulent.
__________________________________
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY VISITING
MEXICO?
According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency, the United States, including California, needs to consider developing additional supplies of natural gas to meet its growing demand. Because North American supply basins are maturing, the U.S. will need to rely more on imported supplies, including liquefied natural gas (LNG). California already imports 85 percent of its natural gas supply from these basins. Currently, the United States has five LNG-receiving and regasification terminals, including one in Puerto Rico, but no terminal is located on the West Coast. Recently, however, a number of companies have proposed to build LNG import facilities in California, at other locations in the United States, and in Baja California, Mexico.
Sempra's plan to build an LNG receiving terminal in Baja is opposed by a broad spectrum of Californians, including environmentalists, clean energy advocates, consumers, internationalists and local communities. Several LNG plants have been proposed on the west coast, both in the U.S. and in Mexico. The final destination of the natural gas is California, where it will be used to fire up new gas burning power plants. The LNG will arrive in huge tankers from environmentally sensitive regions, including Russia's Sakhalin Island, the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest, Australia and Indonesia.
In the early 1970s, California’s gas utilities were
planning to build an LNG import facility and import LNG. They identified
the Port of Los Angeles, Oxnard, and Point Conception as possible sites.
However, the three agencies involved in site approval could not agree on a
preferred site. To address the conflict, at least at the state level, the
project proponents turned to the Legislature, which enacted the LNG
Terminal Siting Act of 1977. Under this act, the California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC), with input from the California Coastal
Commission (Coastal Commission) and California Energy Commission (Energy
Commission), could approve one site. The CPUC chose Point Conception
because of its remote location, but the proponents cancelled the project
when LNG became uneconomical. In
1987, the Legislature repealed the LNG siting act, and no company has attempted to site an LNG import facility on
the West Coast until recently.
Chevron
and Texaco announced plans to build the 680 million-refinery project in
October of 2003, 12 miles north of Ensenada to process the LNG from fields
in Australia and Asia. With the rising price of oil and demand for energy
in the southwestern US, the profitability of processing the 'dirty' gas is
now more viable. One of the byproducts of refining LNG is sulfur dioxide,
which smells like rotten eggs. However, when the refined product is used,
it produces fewer harmful emissions than most other fuels.
"This is clearly a case of Not in My Backyard,” says an
environmental researcher. "With the growing needs of Southern
California for energy the energy companies have exported the problem to
Mexico where environmental resistance to the project is weaker." He
added, "Imagine how far they would get if they wanted to put such a
terminal on Anacapa Island or Catalina? I don't think a great number of
the Americans investing in the area are aware of the plans for this
industrial facility." Still, there are concerns about how the fuel is
shipped and stored. LNG cannot explode and is not flammable as a liquid.
But a government study by the Sandia National Laboratory concludes
terrorists could blast a hole into a LNG vessel. That would release
millions of gallons of fuel that would quickly turn to gas and ignite. The
fire would be so intense that it could cause major injury and burn
buildings one-third of a mile away. Within seconds, the fire could give
second-degree burns to people who are a mile away. "The risks of a
catastrophic accident ... is a real one. Far too little is known about the
vulnerability of LNG terminals and ships to terrorist attacks," says
Philip Warburg, president of the Conservation Law Foundation. The group
has lobbied against putting LNG terminals in populated areas in the
Northeast. Industry officials say there has never been a leak of LNG from
a double-hull tanker and that protection of LNG shipments has improved
since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Properties of LNG
Natural gas is composed primarily of methane (typically, at least 90%), but may also contain ethane, propane and heavier hydrocarbons. Small quantities of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, sulfur compounds, and water may also be found in "pipeline" natural gas. The liquefaction process removes the oxygen, carbon dioxide, sulfur compounds, and water. The process can also be designed to purify the LNG to almost 100% methane. LNG is essentially no different from the natural gas used in homes and businesses everyday, except that it has been refrigerated to minus 259 degrees Fahrenheit at which point it becomes a clear, colorless, and odorless liquid. As a liquid, natural gas occupies only one six-hundredth of its gaseous volume and can be transported economically between continents in special tankers. LNG weighs slightly less than half as much as water, so it floats on fresh or seawater. However, when LNG comes in contact with any warmer surface such as water or air, it evaporates very rapidly (“boil”), returning to its original, gaseous volume. As the LNG vaporizes, a vapor cloud resembling ground fog will form under relatively calm atmospheric conditions. The vapor cloud is initially heavier than air since it is so cold, but as it absorbs more heat, it becomes lighter than air, rises, and can be carried away by the wind. An LNG vapor cloud cannot explode in the open atmosphere, but it could burn.
Safety Concerns
LNG is considered a hazardous material. The primary safety concerns are the potential consequences of an LNG spill. LNG hazards result from three of its properties:
• Cryogenic temperatures
• Dispersion characteristics
• Flammability characteristics
The extreme cold of LNG can directly cause injury or damage. Although momentary contact on the skin can be harmless, extended contact will cause severe freeze burns. On contact with certain metals, such as ship decks, LNG can cause immediate cracking. Although not poisonous, exposure to the center of a vapor cloud could cause asphyxiation due to the absence of oxygen. LNG vapor clouds can ignite within the portion of the cloud where the concentration of natural gas is between a five and a 15 percent (by volume) mixture with air. To catch fire, however, this portion of the vapor cloud must encounter an ignition source. Otherwise, the LNG vapor cloud will simply dissipate into the atmosphere. An ignited LNG vapor cloud is very dangerous, because of its tremendous radiant heat output. Furthermore, as a vapor cloud continues to burn, the flame could burn back toward the evaporating pool of spilled liquid, ultimately burning the quickly evaporating natural gas immediately above the pool, giving the appearance of a “burning pool” or “pool fire.” An ignited vapor cloud or a large LNG pool fire can cause extensive damage to life and property. Spilled LNG would disperse faster on the ocean than on land, because water spills provide very limited opportunity for containment. Furthermore, LNG vaporizes more quickly on water, because the ocean provides an enormous heat source. For these reasons, most analysts conclude that the risks associated with shipping, loading, and off-loading LNG are much greater than those associated with land-based storage facilities.
Preventing spills and responding immediately to spills should they occur are major factors in the design of LNG facilities. The following descriptions emphasize the safety features of LNG facilities.
Tankers
Ocean-going tankers transport large amounts of LNG from
distant natural gas fields. They are equipped with up to five LNG-cargo
tanks housed inside a double-walled hull. Each cargo tank can store
several thousand cubic feet of LNG. These ships are up to 1,000-feet
long, and, when fully loaded, require a minimum water depth of 40 feet.
Onshore Receiving and Regasification Terminals
A shore-based LNG terminal — consisting of a docking facility, LNG-storage tanks, LNG-vaporization equipment, and vapor-handling systems — occupies approximately 25 to 40 acres of land. The location of a proposed LNG terminal would dictate the number and types of linear facilities, such as roads, electric transmission lines, and gas and water lines that would also be needed. The docking facility is designed to accommodate the sizes of the anticipated LNG tankers. It normally consists of a pier about 1,800-feet long and 30-feet wide with 4 moorings and off-loading facilities. Moorings connect the tanker securely to the jetty so that the LNG can be transferred from the ship’s tanks to the onshore piping. In most respects, an LNG docking facility would be similar in size to those that currently handle supertankers delivering crude oil to California. One difference is that an LNG tanker has a much higher profile (125 feet). Therefore, when considering the placement of docking facilities, facility designers must account for the effect of prevailing winds on the maneuverability of those ships.
Despite peak flow rates of approximately 12,000 cubic meters per hour, unloading times for a full-sized LNG tanker average 12 to 15 hours. While unloading their cargoes, LNG tankers could be subject to substantial tidal and wave forces, which might jeopardize the integrity of the ship-to-shore interface. Therefore, LNG ports and jetties must have built-in safety features to prevent releases of LNG during ship-to-shore transfers.
A ship-to-shore emergency shutdown (ESD) system and associated shut-off valves allow rapid and safe shutdown of an LNG transfer. The ESD system will stop the ship’s unloading pumps and close flow valves both on the ship and shore usually within 20 to 30 seconds. Quick-release couplings automatically disconnect the unloading arms during emergencies.
Transfer piping used to unload the cryogenic liquid from
the ship’s tanks can withstand a 200 degree Celsius temperature drop
once LNG pump-out begins. Normally, the cryogenic piping is made of
stainless steel, and one kilometer of stainless steel pipe, when cooled by
200 degrees C, will contract by nearly three meters. Expansion loops and
expansion bellows are built-in safety features that compensate for this
pipeline contraction. LNG is normally held on land in one or more
specially designed storage tanks while it awaits
regasification. The failure
of one or more tanks could release an enormous
volume of LNG (e.g., 100,000 cubic meters) with potentially disastrous
consequences due to the size of the resulting vapor cloud. However, the
design of modern storage facilities has improved from earlier designs.
“The design practices and metallurgy that caused earlier accidents are
totally unacceptable by today’s standards.”
The following three types of LNG storage tanks are used today:
•
Single-containment tanks are double-walled. An interior tank is made of
nine percent nickel, while the outer tank is made of carbon steel.
• Double-containment tanks have primary and secondary tanks. The secondary tank, typically a concrete wall, is located usually six meters or less from the primary tank. In the event of a leak, the secondary tank contains the cryogenic liquid and limits the surface area and vaporization of an LNG liquid pool.
•
Full-containment tanks have a nine percent nickel inner tank, plus a
pre-stressed concrete outer tank.
The outer tank, which includes a reinforced concrete roof lined with
carbon steel, can be designed to withstand realistic impacts from missiles
or flying objects.
The Mexican government’s new LNG siting regulations mandate the use of full-containment storage tanks controls did not apply to intrastate transactions, however, producers could sell gas in the state within which it was produced at prices above federal controls. These circumstances led to a perception that domestic natural gas reserves were declining, which, in turn, led some firms to explore LNG imports as an alternative source of natural gas.
HOW
IS IT KEPT COLD?
The insulation, as efficient as it is, will not keep the temperature of LNG cold by itself. LNG is stored as a "boiling cryogen," that is, it is a very cold liquid at its boiling point for the pressure it is being stored. Stored LNG is analogous to boiling water, only 470° colder. The temperature of boiling water (212°F) does not change, even with increased heat, as it is cooled by evaporation (steam generation). In much the same way, LNG will stay at near constant temperature if kept at constant pressure. This phenomenon is called "autorefrigeration". As long as the steam (LNG vapor boil off) is allowed to leave the tea kettle (tank), the temperature will remain constant.
If the vapor is not drawn off, then the pressure and temperature inside the vessel will rise. However, even at 100 psig, the LNG temperature will still be only about -200°F.
HAVE
THERE BEEN ANY SERIOUS LNG ACCIDENTS?
First, one must remember that LNG is a form of energy and must be respected as such. Today LNG is transported and stored as safely as any other liquid fuel. Before the storage of cryogenic liquids was fully understood, however, there was a serious incident involving LNG in Cleveland, Ohio in 1944. This incident virtually stopped all development of the LNG industry for 20 years. The race to the Moon led to a much better understanding of cryogenics and cryogenic storage with the expanded use of liquid hydrogen (-423°F) and liquid oxygen (-296°F). LNG technology grew from NASA's advancement. In addition to Cleveland, there have two other U.S. incidents sometimes attributed to LNG. Some parties have cited a construction accident on Staten Island in 1973 as an "LNG accident" because the construction crew was working inside an (empty, warm) LNG tank. In another case, the failure of an electrical seal on an LNG pump in 1979 permitted gas (not LNG) to enter an enclosed building. A spark of indeterminate origin caused the building to exploded. As a result of this incident, the electrical code has been revised for the design of electrical seals used with all flammable fluids under pressure.
Planned Pipeline and Refinement Installations
OUR CLOSING STATEMENT
Rather than promoting further dependence on foreign fossil fuels, California should reduce natural gas consumption through energy efficiency and renewable energy. Importing LNG through Mexico only exposes our environment and us to greater safety and security threats.
It is interesting to note that these new LNG plants being developed by foreign interests are not lawful under present Mexican law on Mexican soil. Even so, the Fox administration is intent on allowing this further exploitation of our Mother Earth due to a bit of greed mixed with an attempt to enhance the economy of Mexico. This greed though is certainly not one-sided as the foreign interests are as much to blame in this rape of the environment. And mark my words, Mother Nature is not pleased with the way we are globally administering the environs and will settle with us later…
But this could be a part of a much greater scheme, as when the Fox group is voted out and these vast money making developments are complete, the next group in power may decide to seize the properties and nationalize these incredibly precious assets. Perhaps the above-mentioned lawsuit by a Mexico City businessman is a fore tend of the apocalypse of legal wrangling to come. Will the US Government send troops to Baja to protect the assets held by US companies? Stay tuned to this dinero based global soap opera.
This reminds those who are aware of past history of the exploits of the 20th century when the government of Mexico nationalized all foreign oil exploration and development. This led to the seizing of these enterprises previously allowed by government decree in defiance of then existing Mexican law. These holdings were subsequently organized under the now powerful and omnipresent Pemex Oil Company umbrella.
Annual Ensenada Fish Availability
Chart
(Note:
rockfish are legal in Mexico during the off-season in California)
SPECIES
E=EXCELLENT G=GOOD F=FAIR
P=POOR
|
|
JAN |
FEB |
MAR |
APR |
MAY |
JUN |
JUL |
AUG |
SEP |
OCT |
NOV |
DEC |
| 1. | P |
F |
F |
G |
G |
E |
E |
E |
G |
G |
F |
P |
|
2. |
F |
F |
G |
E |
E |
E |
E |
G |
G |
E |
G |
F |
|
3. |
F |
F |
G |
G |
E |
E |
E |
G |
G |
G |
F |
F |
|
4. |
P |
F |
F |
G |
G |
E |
E |
E |
G |
F |
F |
P |
|
5. |
P |
P |
F |
F |
G |
E |
E |
E |
G |
G |
F |
P |
|
6. |
P |
P |
P |
F |
G |
E |
E |
G |
G |
F |
F |
P |
| 7. | F |
F |
G |
E |
E |
E |
G |
G |
E |
G |
F |
P |
|
8. |
E |