Violent attack, Cruisers injured, St Vincent & Grenadines, Union Island

[reefhunter]

I don't know you, but we've just finished spending the last seven years in Guatemala - chartering out of Champerico. A couple of years chartering in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica. In that time the only ones with firearms were the port officials, the naval and paratroopers and a few private guards at the resorts. Otherwise no one else flashed handguns.

Venezuela doesn't restrict fuel. There are two prices - one heavily subsidized for the residents - 0.01/ltr and the other for foreign flagged vessels at 0.25/ltr. You pay at the port office in LaGuaira office for the fuel in advance, take a cab back to your boat and wait. Once the paperwork is completed in a day or so, you are able to pump fuel.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by SaltyTanned

Dont sail to areas of high crime, high homicide rates.

If I followed this advice I would have to stay away from all other american countries as they all have crime and homicide rates that double ours at least. DC has 25 times my province's homicide rate! Canadians would be limited to sailing to Europe and Australia or New Zealand. Those are fairly long steps.

And what would this change? SVG does not live from tourism they make money with (special) agriculture and transport...

One night four boats were attacked at gun point in the vicinity of Union by three criminals from Union. No one was harmed. One of these boats was a charter cat operated by Switch, a then very important for tourism outfit. A V-P from Switch called the minister of tourism of SVG and complained. He was told "we cannot watch every anchorage every night". His answer "Then we will move operations to another area". Within two days the criminals had been arrested. The moral of this: we cruisers need more punch.

We need an association that can speak for us. We bring more business to these islands than cruise ships. Yet every year we have to pay more to sail the waters, anchor, visit etc. and every year crime rates climb. Those countries do not even supply a dinghy dock for us.

Central America and Venezuela meanwhile have become terribly dangerous so yachties abound to Grenada and SVG and St Lucia. The latter has improved safety during recent years and has seen an increase in yachting revenues.

Could we have an international yachtspeople's association that would have clout?

Misreading or over-interpeting the statistics will scare you down to your bones every single time.

Yes, DC has a high crime rate. But not every part of DC has a high crime rate, and there are many areas around DC that are quite lovely and quite safe.

It's like what I said about Chicago: many parts are quite safe. Even in the neighborhoods where there is gang activity, they aren't interested in you. Just keep on driving. I know people who won't drive through any "Black" part of town at night. They're idiots. The gangsters are looking for gangsters who balong to a rival gang -- not you and me.

I see the difference between that and anchoring in a secluded spot of a Caribbean island. There may well be "boat boys" who know how to move their boats silently and how to wield a machete. It is not "trashing" the islands to say this is a reality. The more far afield you go, the more careful you will have to be. To think otherwise is naive.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by minaret

Anyone still think my big ass knife which screws on to the end of a boat hook pole is nuts?

No...why would anyone think that?

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

... as long as you think it over and make your plan on what to do in the situation. Sadly, 90% of the cruisers refuse to think about it and thus have no clue what to do when it matters.

I have my plan...a quart of Super Glue. I'll throw it at the perpetrators feet, essentially gluing him to the boat. That way I can just go back to bed and deal with it in the morning. It's kinda like the mouse gummy-glue pads but for bad guy's.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by reefhunter

I don't know you, but we've just finished spending the last seven years in Guatemala - chartering out of Champerico. A couple of years chartering in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica. In that time the only ones with firearms were the port officials, the naval and paratroopers and a few private guards at the resorts. Otherwise no one else flashed handguns.

Have you ever been to Texas or Florida? Two states that allow citizens to carry weapons. Have you seen anyone there "flashing" their weapon? They are called "concealed gun permits" - notice the word "concealed".

Because you didn't see anyone with a gun, you stated that the country bans guns? Did you do any research at all?

Guatemala allows their citizens to carry weapons. That is the fact.

Do you plan to address the fact that you cherry-picked statistics and made up complete baloney in your added analysis to them? You seem to keep avoiding this unpleasant point....

Mark

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

No...why would anyone think that?



I have my plan...a quart of Super Glue. I'll throw it at the perpetrators feet, essentially gluing him to the boat. That way I can just go back to bed and deal with it in the morning. It's kinda like the mouse gummy-glue pads but for bad guy's.

You know that's fine if it's a guy, but what if it's a 'boat gal?' All that superglue will ruin her nails, and you'll really piss her off.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by reefhunter

I don't know you, but we've just finished spending the last seven years in Guatemala - chartering out of Champerico. A couple of years chartering in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica. In that time the only ones with firearms were the port officials, the naval and paratroopers and a few private guards at the resorts. Otherwise no one else flashed handguns.

Venezuela doesn't restrict fuel. There are two prices - one heavily subsidized for the residents - 0.01/ltr and the other for foreign flagged vessels at 0.25/ltr. You pay at the port office in LaGuaira office for the fuel in advance, take a cab back to your boat and wait. Once the paperwork is completed in a day or so, you are able to pump fuel.

Here is the reality of guns on the streets in Guatemala:

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

Really? 90% of sailors who sail to unknown countries don't give a thought to their safety? Who did that research -- Boat US?

78.26% of all statistics are made up...

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

You know that's fine if it's a guy, but what if it's a 'boat gal?' All that superglue will ruin her nails, and you'll really piss her off.

...ya...but it's the only way I can get a date...

[hartcjhart]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

Those cat strips look interesting.
I wonder what has happened to the 15 year old attacker.

beauty of them is that normally they are 'screwed' down but if you put some velcro on the deck you can put them down when wanted,also good against rats etc

[Kenomac]

Know your boat, and have some very scary sharp, bad ass knives strategically placed in various locations, eg K-bar, rigging, hunting and drop point knives. And know how to use them employing the element of surprise.

[cheoah]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Here is the reality of guns on the streets in Guatemala:

The extended mag kinda cracks me up.

This couple seems like they have their sh*% together. Who wants to stab someone when they're out trying to have a good time? Life is harsh sometimes, and that wound is gnarly, for sure. It's a good fix and should mend up nice if she protects it.

Hats off to both of them for their courage. Debates like this can't help but be academic. The feelings of protection that I would feel if some chump hacked at my lady's face are well, hard to put into words. *insert intimidating lion roar here.* I think he showed good restraint with the attacker, or was tending his partners wounds. This is not a violent guy, and it may have saved him from rotting in a cell. These people are gonna be just fine, thanks to Mark. I wish them all the best.

[bobconnie]

Come on fellas, lets all try to get along!! Just wait a little while till I get my Imatation pump shotgun sound alike piece done and ready for the market!! It sounds just like a 12 gauge pump shotgun being pumped!! But theres no shells or fireing stuff, just makes the sound ya need to put ***** in the blood of intruders!! That and a loud voice tellin em to leave will work most of the time !! Better then haveing to fight em if ya can scare em !! Just a thought

[cheoah]

Originally Posted by bobconnie

Come on fellas, lets all try to get along!! Just wait a little while till I get my Imatation pump shotgun sound alike piece done and ready for the market!! It sounds just like a 12 gauge pump shotgun being pumped!! But theres no shells or fireing stuff, just makes the sound ya need to put ***** in the blood of intruders!! That and a loud voice tellin em to leave will work most of the time !! Better then haveing to fight em if ya can scare em !! Just a thought

I think there's an iphone app for that

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

78.26% of all statistics are made up...


...ya...but it's the only way I can get a date...

She would have the great advantage that she wouldn't fall no matter how much the boat heeled, too ...

[Finistere]

I always find it amazing how in many of these discussions people from outside US will start denigrating situations in the US. Americans generally don't waste there time making similar remarks about other countries. I have a number of friends and relatives in Europe and Canada and discussions generally lead to what is wrong with America, never what is wrong in those countries. Our attitude is that they don't know what they don't know. I can leave my house and boat unlocked and nobody steals a thing, I can travel 1400 miles down the waterway and never worry about crime, etc etc.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Finistere

I always find it amazing how in many of these discussions people from outside US will start denigrating situations in the US. Americans generally don't waste there time making similar remarks about other countries. I have a number of friends and relatives in Europe and Canada and discussions generally lead to what is wrong with America, never what is wrong in those countries. Our attitude is that they don't know what they don't know. I can leave my house and boat unlocked and nobody steals a thing, I can travel 1400 miles down the waterway and never worry about crime, etc etc.

We're a big country, so I don't blame foreign visitors for wondering, because they read the news. They've heard about that whack job in Cleveland who made sexual slaves out of three women for 11 years. They've heard about John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy. They've heard about all the shootings in Chicago, but not the highly selective nature of it, because news is presented in sound bytes now.

WE don't get balanced reporting. Certainly foreigners will not.