Best Central/South American countries for cruisers?

[model 10]

[QUOTE=oldsalt_1942;2157719]Cheap beer and no hurricanes.. there IS crime in Bocas. Not on a scale with places like Honduras, El Salvador or Miami, for sure, but there IS theft and there ARE crimes against persons.

There is crime on the Rio too. Most of the marinas have armed guards at night. The appliance store down town has a guy with a shotgun to greet you. It's not uncommon to see dead people floating in the lake either. There is an eddy in the river and they sometimes collect at one of the marinas. The worlds most beautiful lake, Lake Atitlan has so much smog you can only see across it a few days per year. What you can see is lined with trash. The whole country is covered with trash, except for Antigua and the ruins.

[sailingfarmer]

Crime in Bocas... every so often something pops up (usually an expat)... but no way on a scale like anywhere else in Central America... no way close.

[belizesailor]

[QUOTE=Guy;2157760]

Originally Posted by oldsalt_1942

... The worlds most beautiful lake, Lake Atitlan has so much smog you can only see across it a few days per year. ....

Huh? SMOG from what? There is no idustry there. Ive spent lots of time at Atitlan and never witnessed such. Cloud cover or mist maybe, but there is nothing there to form SMOG.

[model 10]

[QUOTE=belizesailor;2157790]

Originally Posted by Guy

Huh? SMOG from what? There is no idustry there. Ive spent lots of time at Atitlan and never witnessed such. Cloud cover or mist maybe, but there is nothing there to form SMOG.

That ain't no cloud cover. Maybe it's volcanic then.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by sailingfarmer

...
Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Mexico? The crime is off the scoreboards..... just look at the murder statistics... nobody even mentions living in Roatan anymore.... Guatemala City? Looks like Syria last time I was there.

...

Per capita rates are high, but these rarely have anything to do with expats/tourists/cruisers. The murder rate is driven by the drug trade. Stay out of that business and you are unlikely to have an issue.

Exception would be along the Honduran mainland where cruising boats have been targeted. Bay Islands, much less of an issue.

Parts of Guate City, like Zone 5, are pretty rough, but there are also very upscale areas like Zones 10, 14, 15. Like any major city there are areas to avoid.

[zeehag]

why not sail cruise southward with a side trip spin thru soc and then brag on your findings here..... sounds like a lot of fun, and many places are not to be missed.
mexico has a very long coastline with many different styles of living and cooking.
there are volcanoes and pyramids and cultural explorations.
guatamala has atltitlan and other cool vistas and cultures--each central american locale is different and unique.
bahia del sol has been encouraged for me to visit, as well as about every possible anchorage on the pacific coast.
hhmm
makes a looong lotta coastline to cruise before making up a mind. especially as each place is better than the one ye left...
have fun deciding

[sailingfarmer]

Bocas del Toro.... to the original question.... you can fly to Panama City which has 4 times the skyline of Boston, Massachusetts and a metro system and nexus for flights anywhere in the world.... or you can drive to Boquete and get a Colorado High Altitude in the Summer experience with the best coffee beans on earth. Or you can go to Guatemala and get mugged...(just kidding Guatemala-philes)

[RafaCavi]

Originally Posted by iyamwhatiyam

We are considering pulling up our U.S. stakes and heading south. I figure this would be the best forum to poll cruisers on best countries to lead the cruising lifestyle, sorry but could not find the expat cruisers forum! We do plan on buying a house wherever we land, but I figure liveaboards would have the most intimate knowledge of desirability from their unique perspective. Costa Rica is too expensive, looking at Panama, Honduras and neighboring countries. My wife says Ecuador has a vibrant cruising community due in part to the Galapagos. As long as I have internet I have a job, but don't care to work that much longer, so cost of living is an important factor. It's just my wife and I and our menagerie of furry friends. We are fans of The Sovereign Society, Robert E. Bauman, JD and International Living. So, if you were able to pick any country to live in and keep your boat, what would it be and why? And where to avoid!!! (Clearly we think the U.S. is not going to be very pleasant in the future).
Moderators please let me know if there is a more appropriate forum in which to post.

---------------------------------------
If you want the most beautiful place in the world... The South of Chile. From Puerto Montt to Puerto Williams.
Chile is a very safe country to navigate. While there are not many marinas, the country is safe, no piracy and has the most beautiful area of the world. South of Puerto Montt there are channels and thousands of beautiful islands.
I think Chile is the best place to live in South America, is the country with more resources and facilities, nevertheless the weather is Mediterranean, is not tropical, like Mexico or Costa Rica.

[sailingfarmer]

Southern Chile sounds great.... but you need a year and good luck to get there... perhaps that is why it sounds so pristine... With 6 billion humans on this planet...I guess solitude is harder to find. Our great great grandchildren.... will be looking for a lonely spot on Alpha Centauri.

[Cheechako]

I think about 5 or 6 of the central America/Columbia etc countries are in the top 10 in the world for murder rates.

[sailingfarmer]

Central American countries have good reason to send their 12 year olds up the isthmus of Central America (Mexico included) to the freedom and relative safety of North America. They may have beyond belief beautiful real estate.... but the place is in upheaval because of corruption, incompetence and over-population. Panama is still sparsely populated but nevertheless corrupt and a little incompetent compared to the rest of the so-called civilized world. So going south? Drop your anchor there then explore from there. Remember PEOPLE MAKE A PLACE... it ain't the real estate.

[iyamwhatiyam]

Wow. We think some of the most capable and resourceful people on the planet are on this forum. Thank you, boy do we have a lot to think about. I think zeehag called it tho.

[RafaCavi]

Chile is not the end of the universe!! I sailed 2005 with a Morgan 46 from New Orleans to Puerto Montt without problems. No hurricanes, no pirates, no bad weather. South of the 29 we had to get more warm clothes, Thats all!!
In winter (May to September) you have more rainy days in South of Chile (49º S), but best weather than most of US cities.
Chile = safe, no mosquitos, no hurricanes, no pirates, order, less bureaucracy, solid economy, beautiful landscapes!!
Be brave!!!

[El Pinguino]

Take it easy there RafaCavi..if they don't want to come then they don't want to come.....

We don't want the place getting overcrowded now.. do we?

However if they must come... all of what you have said is true... plus residency is easy to obtain so you don't have to quit the country every 90 days..
2 x 1 year temporary import for your yacht... or simply import her... 30% of value and they seem to be more realistic than most countries and accept very low values.

But don't whatever you do reflag in Chile.. not a good move at all.

And don't offer anyone a bribe .... it will end in tears.. your tears ..


pic taken just south of Montt a cupla weeks ago.... my boat on left, a Jenny and a Hunter.. local boats.

[alphabravo2]

We spent a lot of time on the Rio last 2 years, traveling inland to visit an amazalingly safe and welcoming coun try with breathtaking landscape. Those who talk about safety issues forget about Houston downtown at night, some neighborhoods in NYC, Chicago, Boston... Come-on, you just have to be smart and not do anything you would not do at home!!! Thee is not more guns, crazies etc in Guatemala than in any other NA Country.
Go, visit, make friends, live on a budget that is reasonnable. Please let's stop the "fear" and enjoy!


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