Mexico...a Changing Place

[terminalcitygrl]

I found your choice of what info to highlight quite interesting. I thought the para which appeared before that one more helpful.

"Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year for study, tourism, and business, including more than 150,000 who cross the border every day. The Mexican government makes a considerable effort to protect U.S. citizens and other visitors to major tourist destinations, and there is no evidence that Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) have targeted U.S. visitors and residents based on their nationality. Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime reported in the border region and in areas along major trafficking routes."

[bobconnie]

Wheather or not the wind did it or somebody cut it loose ! it was a BAD choice for the guy to make !! as I said earlier any of the moorings we saw in Z town, would not have held my 42 ftr in 25 knots of wind let alone high winds ! theres really not safe place to even anchor there!! At least at the Hurrycane time of year( like then and now) any of ya that have been there at a Good time of yr have seen some of the anchor shows when just a small wind blows in there !LOL Heck if he sailed there he could have gone another day and been safe ! Just my 2 cents !! Just sayin I dont have loss Ins. so I would done it differently!!

[zeehag]

is strange they left the formosa 51 in the water when 25mi away is a haul yard and most haul yards in mexico are much less pricey than in water slippage.
also, most of the boat watcher folks i have met in mexico are very into their jobs--they take good care of the boat in their charge/ i am wondering where they picked up their boat watch person.......

[jeremiason]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

The blogger told of locals on shore wanting money to watch your dinghy was nothing more than money for them not stealing it and laughing about it. That was the part that made me believe what had happened was fact.

The issue about charging to watch dinghys in Z-Town was started by the Gringos organizing the Z-Fest Sailing event, a fund rasier for local schools.

Each year they designate several Mexicans to "Valet" dinghys. They would swim out, bring you dinghy onto the beach and watch it. They would then place it back in the water when you wanted to leave.

The recommended payment was $5 pesos or about 50 cents US in and the same out.

It is also a common practice in some areas of Mexico and Central Amercia to pay a local to watch your beached dinghy, usually no more than a $1. In other words it is not extortion it is truely for security.

[micah719]

The trouble started with a bent shaft and full crew. Could have simply sailed to safer moorings to repair. Coulda woulda shoulda....easy to pick from the safety of the armchair. Still, being the second strange loss, hope boat #3 means lessons learned. Has for me, already.

Also, sailing off instead of abandoning would have meant impounding? Mental note....install fail deadly system, a last farewell surprise for would-be wreckers or boarders. Welcome aboard....stay a while.

[bobconnie]

We have always paid a local to watch our dink !! I mean a buck or two is something to them and not a heck of a lot to most any of us !! just makes sure your stuff is there when ya get back !!! just makes sense to us !

[virginia boy]

Implying the boat owner brought this trouble on himself for anchoring in that location is analogous to claims that a woman was somehow culpable in her own rape because she dressed provocatively. (I'm assuming the boat owner read the situation accurately and the chain was purposely cut and the boat watchers were extortionists) If his version is accurate then yes, the townspeople and the local constabulary conspired to rob him. His choice of anchorage is irrelevant to his point that Mexico isn't as safe as it once was.

The local police come by our bed&breakfast in Ajijic to question a witness to the robbery of an elderly expat woman. They took no notes and seemed to have zero interest in actually solving the crime. I suspect that most theft crimes go unreported in that town for this very reason. I doubt the crime stats put out by the Mexican govt can be trusted considering they have a vested interest in playing down crime.

My heart goes out to this man who has lost everything.

[bobconnie]

Originally Posted by virginia boy

Implying the boat owner brought this trouble on himself for anchoring in that location is analogous to claims that a woman was somehow culpable in her own rape because she dressed provocatively. (I'm assuming the boat owner read the situation accurately and the chain was purposely cut and the boat watchers were extortionists) If his version is accurate then yes, the townspeople and the local constabulary conspired to rob him. His choice of anchorage is irrelevant to his point that Mexico isn't as safe as it once was.

The local police come by our bed&breakfast in Ajijic to question a witness to the robbery of an elderly expat woman. They took no notes and seemed to have zero interest in actually solving the crime. I suspect that most theft crimes go unreported in that town for this very reason. I doubt the crime stats put out by the Mexican govt can be trusted considering they have a vested interest in playing down crime.

My heart goes out to this man who has lost everything.

Im sorry for him also !! but it is his second time around with boat losses! maybe theres a root problem here ?? would you leave your boat(if it was uninsured) on a pee poor mooring in a unsafe harbor in the middle of Hurrycane season ?? with a secure haul out yard 25 miles away ?? Most of us feel bad for the lost boat !! but as I said the moorings I saw in Z- Town were not good enough for me to put a 42 ftr on any of them ! and that was in Good weather! I dove them, they were JUNK ! I think you would have done as most of us would have, taken the boat to safe Place !! But then I could be wrong !!

[micah719]

Are you (vb) saying he isn't responsible for losing his boat? Sad thing to have happen, especially twice now. Seeing as how he initially wanted to moor in the pack for security reasons, he wasn't totally unaware of potential problems. There seemed to be a few problems with this vessel in the months leading up to the loss....was insurance paid for Halcyon? Hm. Apparently he is a disabled veteran. Perhaps a naive REMF, or perhaps a cluey old fox on his way to another boat upgrade. Who knows. The situation as he presents it just smells very dodgy to me. Anyway, good luck to them...........and keep your peepers peeled and leave your naivety and blind faith in the inherent goodness of man in the countries where that approach won't see you robbed and/or killed or something.

[virginia boy]

Originally Posted by bobconnie

Im sorry for him also !! but it is his second time around with boat losses! maybe theres a root problem here ?? would you leave your boat(if it was uninsured) on a pee poor mooring in a unsafe harbor in the middle of Hurrycane season ?? with a secure haul out yard 25 miles away ?? Most of us feel bad for the lost boat !! but as I said the moorings I saw in Z- Town were not good enough for me to put a 42 ftr on any of them ! and that was in Good weather! I dove them, they were JUNK ! I think you would have done as most of us would have, taken the boat to safe Place !! But then I could be wrong !!

If you read my post again you'll see where I said I was operating under the assumption that the owners version of events (the only one we have) were accurate and that the boat was purposely set adrift.

If indeed it was set adrift then his poor choice of anchorages is irrelevant. Period.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by virginia boy

Implying the boat owner brought this trouble on himself for anchoring in that location is analogous to claims that a woman was somehow culpable in her own rape because she dressed provocatively. (I'm assuming the boat owner read the situation accurately and the chain was purposely cut and the boat watchers were extortionists) If his version is accurate then yes, the townspeople and the local constabulary conspired to rob him. His choice of anchorage is irrelevant to his point that Mexico isn't as safe as it once was.

The local police come by our bed&breakfast in Ajijic to question a witness to the robbery of an elderly expat woman. They took no notes and seemed to have zero interest in actually solving the crime. I suspect that most theft crimes go unreported in that town for this very reason. I doubt the crime stats put out by the Mexican govt can be trusted considering they have a vested interest in playing down crime.

My heart goes out to this man who has lost everything.

I tend to agree with you.
Bad choice maybe, but who can you trust?

Plus, he wanted to be in a better place but was forced (?) to go to a worse place.

Well, maybe he should have done something different. My arm chair is comfy!

[virginia boy]

Originally Posted by micah719

Are you (vb) saying he isn't responsible for losing his boat? Sad thing to have happen, especially twice now. Seeing as how he initially wanted to moor in the pack for security reasons, he wasn't totally unaware of potential problems. There seemed to be a few problems with this vessel in the months leading up to the loss....was insurance paid for Halcyon? Hm. Apparently he is a disabled veteran. Perhaps a naive REMF, or perhaps a cluey old fox on his way to another boat upgrade. Who knows. The situation as he presents it just smells very dodgy to me. Anyway, good luck to them...........and keep your peepers peeled and leave your naivety and blind faith in the inherent goodness of man in the countries where that approach won't see you robbed and/or killed or something.

Those are a lot of assumptions you're making. Your suggesting that all this is some kind of insurance fraud? I'm not naive by any stretch, but neither am I insensitive enough to accuse a man who just lost his boat of being a criminal scam artist without a shred of evidence to support that accusation.

I believe everyone has the responsibility to take reasonable precautions to protect themselves and their property. His anchorage may very well have been unsafe but if the chain was cut it's not his fault.

The girl who was raped knew she was walking through a bad neighborhood when she was raped. Is it her fault she was raped? Was she culpable in her own rape because she should have gone a different way? Save your demonizing for the real criminals; the police and the locals who ripped him off.

[TexasPhil]

If you feel unsafe, it's your duty to keep doing things until you feel safe. His gut was telling him it was a bad idea to leave the boat. His gut was right. Follow your instincts, buy insurance nd have one money in case you get into. Am. Have a plan b and c.

I'm from Texas, and there's no way I will go to Mexico. I've been many times over the years. But why go? There's other places with less risk.

[virginia boy]

Originally Posted by Therapy

I tend to agree with you.

Well, maybe he should have done something different. My arm chair is comfy!

The armchair I'm sitting in is comfy too, but it IS on a boat; that should count for something?

[virginia boy]

Originally Posted by TexasPhil

If you feel unsafe, it's your duty to keep doing things until you feel safe. His gut was telling him it was a bad idea to leave the boat. His gut was right. Follow your instincts, buy insurance nd have one money in case you get into. Am. Have a plan b and c.

I'm from Texas, and there's no way I will go to Mexico. I've been many times over the years. But why go? There's other places with less risk.

My thoughts exactly. With one side predicting certain disaster for the tourist and the other claiming Mexico is perfectly safe; it's citizens imbued with childlike innocence, it's hard to know what to believe so Leslie and I have decided to play it safe and have canceled our plans to spend the month of January in San Miguel De Allende.