This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Look Out, One-Percenters: Mexico Is Impounding Your Yachts

So, one-percenter, you were going to just slip on those topsiders, cue up some Doobie Brothers, and set your yacht on a course for a warm southern locale like Puerto Vallarta?
Not so fast, matey.
The O.C. Register reports that the Mexican government has done some surprise yacht permit inspections recently, impounding 300 foreign boats without proper documentation, mostly from the U.S.
That's right: rich Americans busted in Mexico without papers. The irony!
Now, the Register says, Southern California marinas are seeing trips to Mexico canceled en masse.
The crackdown on scofflaw yachters isn't a symptom of Mexican antipathy for rich Americans or their money. It's just that the government there has done a historically terrible job of collecting fees and taxes, and this is one of the ways they're trying to fix it, Yahoo! reports.
So, one-percenter, if you're going yachting to Mexico, just make sure your papers are all straightened out.
And keep an eye out for the federales.