Piracy :-/

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by atoll

these days i like to get pally with the chief of police or customs ,slip them a few bucks and let them do the shooting

how is that for diplomacy

That is excellent! Do they give you a sticker or a little flag etc. for the boat so the riff-raff know to move on to some easier to pick on boat?

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

That is excellent! Do they give you a sticker or a little flag etc. for the boat so the riff-raff know to move on to some easier to pick on boat?

it never ceases to amaze me the "medicinal" properties of large quantaties of duty free rum and scotch whiskey,and the effect it has on persons in positions of powerand how quickly you become part of the family if you are a little bit generous............
no sticker nessacary as thanks to "coconut telegraph" the word soon gets around about the "golden goose".......Hearts and Minds...old boy

[bobconnie]

We have found lights, and a Hatch as shown in an above comment, to be enough to make most all thieves a little more apt to go elsewhere! also our barking dogs are the best alarm Ive ever heard!! All the arms we carry are legal flare guns, of the OLD type which being steel look real bad in low light conditions !! LOL but really we lock stuff up, the dink and motor, the deck hatch ect !! and haveing an almost silent genny and air condition makes it easier to lock things up at night ! LOL But in 40 yrs of messing around the world all we have lost is stuff we did not stow away before we went to sleep or when we went ashore !! Just our 2 cents

[Kenomac]

Daily Trap Shooting off the stern with a 12ga seems to be a good deterrent here in the USA ;-] A sure way to get in trouble anywhere else.

To be honest, the only pirates we've run into so far are the smiling faces working at the boat yards.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

By the way, I am mystified but I cop a lot of forum abuse when I post this photo. What's wrong with securing the boat while you are inside?

I've noticed that as well - am also mystified .

For me it makes great sense whether you have a gun or not and also whether you intend to fight to the death or not for the simple pragmatic reason that if not asleep you get to choose the approach before someone is standing over you with a club / knife / gun / axe / etc etc etc as you wake up.

For me no different to locking my front door at home - and I live in a place where I am more likely to get attacked by Zulus than an intruder .

[DumnMad]

In our marina here, way off the beaten track, I know just a few world travelers but two have been attacked by pirates. One in the Indian Ocean, one in Panama(2012, tied up at gun point.) It appears to me to be way more common than bumping into containers and therefore a good defense is worth considering.

[Kestrahl]

Just cruised PNG/Solomons. If you want to be safe:

1. read noonsite and don't go anywhere there has been armed robberies

2. take all loose items off deck when your not on the boat or at night

3. Ideally put your outboard inside or at least covered on deck and locked (hoisting your dinghy 1ft up the side of your boat does not make your outboard harder to steal)

4. cockpit/deck lights on at night if you are beside a town

5. Lock the doors when your sleeping no matter how hot it is.

6. The more people you have on board the less likely you are to have trouble

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by skipmac

One point. If you're traveling in a poor region of the globe, unless you are in a 25' piece of junk with rust stains, flaking paint and a half dead, smoky outboard for power you will be a rich American to the locals.

Even if I am Australian?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

....
Generally it's a couple on a normal cruisng yacht like yours and mine with no security screen for the companionway.
Generally the couple first know about it when they...

I think the security screen, or similar, is a fine idea. But, ironically, I know of a steel boat that was robbed last season which was an absolute tank. Proper steel doors etc. Would have taken hours of cutting with a torch to get in there uninvited. Late one night someone knocked on the boat and identified themselves as the police....the cruisers opened the door...oops.

We've anchored in the same bay many times. One of our favorite spots, but it is remote -- rarely see another boat there. Typically no other cruising boats around, but this is the first ever robbery there that I know of.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

I think the security screen, or similar, is a fine idea. But, ironically, I know of a steel boat that was robbed last season which was an absolute tank. Proper steel doors etc. Would have taken hours of cutting with a torch to get in there uninvited. Late one night someone knocked on the boat and identified themselves as the police....the cruisers opened the door...oops.

Never thought to ask for ID from behind the screen eh?

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Late one night someone knocked on the boat and identified themselves as the police....the cruisers opened the door...oops.

Hmmmmm neat trick. Hope that one doesn't get around.
In some countries it gets a little difficult to determain what a police boat is.

[GrowleyMonster]

Yeah, piracy/robbery is rare, but its rarity is irrelevant when it is happening to you. Personally I think not fighting back encourages more of the same. When you make piracy a safe occupation, as well as a profitable one, you will only have more pirates who will endanger more boats and boaters. Just sayin. But the passive defenses already mentioned are definitely a great idea. Don't be an attractive target. Criminals aren't looking for a challenge, nor are they content with robbing folks with nothing much to steal. You want to appear to be a difficult as well as unprofitable victim. Not being attacked in the first place sorta makes the fight/cooperate argument moot.

Pirate attacks on yachts are nothing new. Read Joshua Slocum's "Sailing Alone Around The World". The tacks on deck were a nice touch. Oh, you can download it free, from the Gutenberg Project website.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

Pirate attacks on yachts are nothing new. Read Joshua Slocum's "Sailing Alone Around The World". The tacks on deck were a nice touch.

Yes, notice that. Solely defensive. He didnt blow the crap out of anyone. Tacks are a good idea for those that want to use them. You won't get left to rot in a St Lucia jail, for example, waiting for a trial, for leaving tacks on deck.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by cat man do

Even if I am Australian?

WORSE! An Aussie might be thought less likely to have a gun aboard. I suggest dropping the Aussie accent and trying to talk like Clint Eastwood or Charlton Heston, growling about your Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and between belts of whiskey announce menacingly that "When they come to take my gun, they will have to pry it loose from my cold, dead fingers, after stepping over a bunch of dead bodies." Suggested viewing: "Gran Torino". Memorable quote: "Get Off My Lawn!" hissed/growled over the sights of an M-1 Garand. Classic Clint!

[GrowleyMonster]

I also suggest having an unlocked cel phone and a local SIM in it. Calling the Police might be a good idea when "Police" (or anyone else) are knocking at the door at 0330. A handheld VHF where you sleep would also be a good thing. You should have your MAYDAY message Written down, memorized, and rehearsed to get your vessel name, position, and situation on the air in the least time possible, and still have time to repeat repeat repeat. Don't worry if the bad guys hear you... you WANT them to hear you. Handheld air horn? Certainly. Hurt the attackers' ears and wake up nearby boats, too. Remember, the guys boarding you will already be as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Sirens and horns, whistles and gongs, nowhere on Earth are they illegal, AFAIK. Confused and dazed and startled out of their wits pirates MIGHT simply flee in the night. Or day. Attention is something the attackers will definitely not want. If help might be coming, the bad guys are probably OUTTA HERE! Security screens? Definitely a good idea. They give you time to react. Don't be the guy they wake up with a knife at the throat. Not much you can do, then, especially with more than one attacker. They got you. Don't be that guy.