Understandable Fears: Safety In Mexico

"I’m planning to to take my family to Cabo on our very expensive yacht," writes Brian Littlefield, "and am wondering if there have been any recent pirate-type attacks down there. And if so, what should we bring for security, as guns are obviously out of the question. I want to go to Mexico, but not if it’s going to put my family in danger. Should I be worried about officials messing with my boat? Are there any other types of dangers to be concerned about?"

For folks who have cruised in Mexico, fears about personal security will no doubt bring a response of laughter, but if you’re like Littlefield and haven’t been down there before, it’s a perfectly reasonable question. We’ve taken various boats we’ve owned — Freya 39, Olson 30, Cal 25, Ocean 71, and 63-ft cat — to Mexico more than 20 seasons in the last 30 years, and have never had a problem with individuals or officials. And in our 13 years of being the Grand Poobah of the Ha-Ha, can’t recall any significant incidents with members of our fleet. For those who take basic common sense precautions — be careful in poorly lit areas at night when alone and drunk, and don’t flash your wealth —  we consider Mexico to be very safe.

That’s not to say there has never been any crime against cruisers in Mexico. More than 20 years ago a cruiser was killed in Turtle Bay by a local who had just returned from living in the States. There was a drug element to the incident, although the man killed had nothing to do with drugs. About 12 years ago a man who had been crewing on a boat was found dead in a room in Mazatlan, in an incident that was almost certainly drug related. If you want to put your life in danger in Mexico, the one sure way to do so is by getting involved with people who sell/transport drugs. But unless you going looking for them, you’re never going to cross their paths. It’s true there is an incredible amount of drug violence in Mexico, but the drug smugglers are smart enough to keep it far away from tourist areas and amongst themselves. There are no commonly-frequented cruiser destinations/anchorages that we consider to be dangerous to regular folks out to enjoy the cruising life. As such, we’ve never seen the need to carry any weapons . . . other than a nearly useless flare gun.

It’s been our experience that officialdom in Mexico has become much more professional in the last five years. We’ve really been impressed. The main exceptions would be when it comes to importing stuff across the border by land and, as always, when trying to ship parts into Puerto Vallarta via customs in Guadalajara. You might as well just write the latter off as lost.

Our greatest safety concern in Mexico is, believe it or not, drunken drivers. If you walk around with a beer in your hand on the street other than during a fiesta, you’ll attract the attention of the police. But if locals drive with an open 24-pack, nobody says anything. Combine drunken drivers with an all too prevalent macho attitude of passing on blind curves and the like, and it can be dangerous. Sunday afternoons can be particularly bad.

With regard to your boat, from time to time dinghies have been stolen, but at nowhere near the rate it happens in the Caribbean. Lock your dinghy to your boat and/or lift it up at night just to be sure.

We’ve taken our boats and family to Mexico many times in the past, and would do it with complete confidence in the future.