Risk of theft in the Caribbean

[sugarbird]

We cruised the whole Eastern Caribbean for years and never had any problem ar all. We always locked our dinghy with a cable but that was really our only security measure. In my experience, the thefts are dramatically over emphasized. (It's traumatic when it happens but it's not as common as rumor would have it) If you want to worry about a hazard, work on your anchoring...saw a lot more boats experiencing problems from dragging than boats having problems with crime.Z

[contrail]

Do be careful with your dinghy in the BVI. I lift mine every night but have had two stolen over the years, out of maybe 5o nites where I left the dinghy down.

[oldcal46skipper]

When cruising anywhere, we have a non-lethal cattle fence device attached to our life lines. Our life lines do not have the plastic coated covering for this reason.

These cattle fence devices are readily available at many sources. We get ours from Tractor Supply stores. They attach to your 12 volt DC source and are also available with solar power.

They are NON-LETHAL, but deter the thieves with a good shock.

[ALAIN97133]

Originally Posted by coldar1

We keep hearing all sorts of stories about how many dinghy's are stolen, how many boats are broken in to, and even how the "thief's" look for tender boats ashore with their boats name on them, so they know it is safe to head for that boat as "everyone must be ashore". It would be nice to get some first hand advice or experiences from people have actually cruised in the Caribbean as we plan to do from the end of the Atlantic Odyssey in January 2015, so we can sort our myth from reality. Col Finally My Darling

Hi ! I've been living in the Caribbean since 1980. The only time I had something stolen from my sailboat, it was by another sailor who had an 11 meters aluminium lifting keel sailboat that was worth about four time my 31 footer ! He was a professional thief. His sailboat -that I visited with a local gendarme to reclaim my stolen dinghy- looked like a ship chandler store ! He ended up with some lead pellet in his ass (Thanks to another Swiss sailor. The thief went back to France to do his time in jail . In general, we tried to travel with other friendly sailboats & keep a look on each other. I remember that during the Trinidad Carnival (A must, we went there twice) we tied up 3 to 4 sailboats together & had somebody (Usually a mother with small children... sorry girls !) stay on board while we went "jumping" all night ! Dinghy is a problem... Use big chain & lock for dinghy & engine... Often it's young teenagers who swim to yours & disappear into the night... One way is to winch your dinghy up alongside your sailboat with your halyard*... Could be also why my "dream" sailboat is one with an opening transom with the dinghy sliding in & out with engine & all

*Another way -but I don't know how to do it- is to have a pet-shark swimming around my sailboat; in the morning, if my dinghy is still there I would feed my pet-shark with a can of tuna or an annoying custom officer (Joking of course!)...

[simonpickard]

Originally Posted by oldcal46skipper

When cruising anywhere, we have a non-lethal cattle fence device attached to our life lines. Our life lines do not have the plastic coated covering for this reason.



These cattle fence devices are readily available at many sources. We get ours from Tractor Supply stores. They attach to your 12 volt DC source and are also available with solar power.



They are NON-LETHAL, but deter the thieves with a good shock.

This is GOLD! Well until I forget to turn it off after a boozy night out!



Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[SaltyTanned]

It is much safer to raise your dinghy high off the water at night. Locks and chains, even stainless, get cut very quickly. Raising also prevents barnacles from attaching.

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

$20 at the hardware store.
I put velcro on the back to stick it so it can see out the companionway. Its all self contained, no wiring, no siren etc. its not waterproof.

But for the price....

The only time I got false alarms from the cheap IR device was if the sun hit it in the morning. OTOH, in 15 years of cruising it went off twice about 2 am on a saturday night--once in the Solomons and once in the Caribbean--it paid for itself then, as the perps quickly disappeared.

[Jubilee39]

Originally Posted by oldcal46skipper

When cruising anywhere, we have a non-lethal cattle fence device attached to our life lines. Our life lines do not have the plastic coated covering for this reason.

These cattle fence devices are readily available at many sources. We get ours from Tractor Supply stores. They attach to your 12 volt DC source and are also available with solar power.

They are NON-LETHAL, but deter the thieves with a good shock.

They work, have heard screams and splashes afterwards from mine in the Solomans. Never bothered again afterwords. The word must have gotten around judging from the reaction we got in the community. An inexpensive wireless remote from amazon can turn it off and on to leave the boat.

Jubilee
Kudat

[simonpickard]

You should sell this system! I'd buy one.



Please visit my blog:
www.sailing-interlude.com

[boatman61]

Does having a live cattle prod attached to your lifelines not affect your Aluminium bits on the boat..?
Remember having a bow nav light with an exposed wire touching the SS pulpit... my ali toe rails started pitting..