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Old 26-11-2007, 13:08   #76
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... I do keep it (firearm) somewhat concealed, just in case some drunk hops on my boat while I'm off it and starts rumaging around the lockers...
...It's a good idea, like when storing them in your home, to not have them in an easy to find location in the event that a robbery occurs. Keep the magazine in a seperate ziplock bag, in a very different location.

**********

At least when I was boarding boats, it was illegal to have a sealed off compartment that makes it look like it's part of the hull. Generic rule to nab smugglers.

You’re smart fellows, Rebel Heart &
TaoJones. You’ve illuminated a perceptive & appropriate interpretation of David’s query - one, that didn’t immediately occur to me. My dumb.
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Old 26-11-2007, 14:43   #77
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I heard of a guy once who had a pistol hidden in the foam (glock i think) behind a very thin part of a veneer'd panel. If you knew exactly where to hit with your hand, you could have it out and firing in a matter of a few seconds...seems to me I remember it being very near the hatch. Might have been another one in the captain's cabin...but that's just speculation on my part of course.

Oh, and on a steel boat its trivial to weld in a waterproof/fireproof safe.

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Old 26-11-2007, 14:58   #78
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A little subterfuge...

Reading this thread in it’s entirety and following all the links has made this a most interesting and educational evening. I fully agree with the general consensus of not having any firearms on board. In many countries being searched and caught with a firearm is a recipe for a major disaster.

I suppose there are other, more intelligent ways to avoid or at least fend off the worst if a piracy attack/robbery does take place. Despite being quite relieved that attacks on yachts are few and far between, I have been working on one project for some time now.

I’ve taken a well used but still serviceable leather billfold and filled it with everything that usually goes into one; lots of plastic, membership cards, visiting cards, tickets, bills and lots and cash in various currencies in high denominations along with Euro and US$ bills mixed in for flavor. As the Queen should never be missing there’s also a couple of 20.00 British Pound notes in there as well, 1.000.000.00 Rumanian Lei, some cash from the United Arab Emirates and lots of Malaysian Ringgit. More to come as I collect it.

The billfold is now nice and hefty, not really bulging but looking well used, authentic and rewarding - for all appearances like a big fat prize. The catch is that despite all the very real plastic from various European banks, has expired (not indicated on the cards), the cash amount can be spent (with a bit of trying) in it’s entirety on a good night out on the town anywhere here in Europe and everything else is just window dressing.

THAT is the billfold that I’ll (stupidly) keep in the nav table or (slightly smarter) another better “hiding place” and will hand over with great reluctance if forced to do so. Anyone opening it will see lots of impressive plastic, wads of cash, ID cards, whatever else usually accumulates in a billfold, think “jackpot!” and be (hopefully) rapidly gone.

I know it’s not much of a ruse but it’s a hell of a lot better than having to hand over the “real thing” when push comes to shove.

My 2 cents worth.
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Old 26-11-2007, 15:35   #79
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The wallet ruse

I like that a lot. except for one thing, ensuring he does it again....

how about adding some irremovable dye, and a hidden IR camera(50 bucks-works great btw) hooked to the laptop and software that upon sensing movement, snaps a non flash ir series of pics, etc. Sky's the limit on survielliance stuff you can hook to the laptop you have anyway, which can be locked away hidden in a secure location. They can page you, call a cellphone, fax the pictures, forward them, email them, start a siren..

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Old 26-11-2007, 15:41   #80
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Grey Raven - Are you in the region?

Lot's of boats pushing through here on the way to Langkawi and Phuket for the upcoming regattas. Many coming from Darwin through Indonesia. Not one person talked about piracy or the need to carry an arsenal.

Bottom line is that piracy is like street crime in NY. It will happen but not often. In fact probably far less than the USA.

Carrying or not carrying is a completely personal choice and in 15+ years of watching gun debates on-line I have seen no one reach an epiphany to change their stance.

I have been held up at gunpoint several times in the Philippines and been asked to "donate" to various town festivals. You hand over with a smile and go on your way.

If you remember that it is predominantly about money and not you or your boat the "passage fee" should be readily handed over.

To be honest in this part of the world if you were so unfortunate to get roused by a fastboat full of AK47 carrying jungle boys the last thing you would want to do is get into a gunfight with your 45 pistol or your shotgun. You definitely are the loser.
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Old 26-11-2007, 15:52   #81
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Some things you can really do

Ok, just a range of things that you can do. visualize the scenario. Where people have been hurt has been at night, with stealthy types on the deck trying to break in. If they are trying to get in and they know you are on the boat you have trouble, period.

There are some extremely high powered capacitor strobes out now, that depending on the boat, could be set to flash into the cockpit from the direction of the hatch these guys are trying to climb into. A set of floods in the spreaders, will light up the area.., an ear splitting siren can be driven off the inverter, inverter (current rock music seems to really help to crack muslim terrorists I'm told); and any type of flashing *enforcement* type light might help too ( I know a guy who has one on the masthead to get attention of seemingly asleep at the wheel transports, fishermen etc.)
You can pretty easily rig your lifelines to shock anyone climbing aboard with a std cattle/stock electric fence setup (very cheap) and...
(this one is fun you take a plastic milk/water type bottle, empty it, fill it with seawater, push two wires thru the cap, invert the bottle and hook the wires up to a 12 volt source. you will soon have a bottle of hydrogen/oxygen hoist it to the spreaders before dark and turn in..
if all the other stuff doesn't get em off the boat, touch the wires to a battery and spark the bottle......give it a bit then go clean the brown stuff off the deck.

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Old 26-11-2007, 16:00   #82
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A lot of actual pirate stories start with "so we were 30 miles off the coast of [insert Yemen or Somalia here] and this boat came up to us..."

Know the dangerous spots, roll in a group if you're concerned, and stay offshore. I would never advise turning your nav lights off and hauling down the radar reflector, but if you want to disappear into the night, a dark sailboat with it's engine off is pretty damn had to spot.
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Old 26-11-2007, 16:10   #83
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Originally Posted by Seeratlas View Post
You can pretty easily rig your lifelines to shock anyone climbing aboard with a std cattle/stock electric fence setup (very cheap) and...
(this one is fun you take a plastic milk/water type bottle, empty it, fill it with seawater, push two wires thru the cap, invert the bottle and hook the wires up to a 12 volt source. you will soon have a bottle of hydrogen/oxygen hoist it to the spreaders before dark and turn in..
if all the other stuff doesn't get em off the boat, touch the wires to a battery and spark the bottle......give it a bit then go clean the brown stuff off the deck.

seer
Geez, seer, what law school did you go to?! Actually, it's good to see that a person can have some entertaining fun while fighting the good fight.

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Old 26-11-2007, 16:13   #84
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I like that a lot. except for one thing, ensuring he does it again....

how about adding some irremovable dye, and a hidden IR camera(50 bucks-works great btw) hooked to the laptop and software that upon sensing movement, snaps a non flash ir series of pics, etc. Sky's the limit on survielliance stuff you can hook to the laptop you have anyway, which can be locked away hidden in a secure location. They can page you, call a cellphone, fax the pictures, forward them, email them, start a siren..

seer
Well, to ensure the stupid sod doesn’t do it again, one could always soak the entire wad of cash in a potent cyanide solution and hope he licks the tips of his fingers when he counts his loot. But, you know, what the hell? I don’t really have to even lift a finger. His own Karma will take care of that job for me.

As far as all the high tech solutions are concerned, although they sound more than plausible, I wouldn’t even bother. If required, € 5.00 in the right hands, a few kind words and in most places you have the best security system one could wish for.

But I have to admit, I had one rather far fetched idea… I’ve always thought that a bazooka looks sort of impressive, especially when viewed in silhouette. Having a real one board is out of the question but building a reproduction out of balsa wood, painting it military green and just sort of sauntering nonchalantly out onto the deck with it when approached by a strange craft, now that would be something out of the movies, eh?

If it gets too close I can always look fierce, point it in their general direction and say “boom!”

Naa, maybe not…
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Old 26-11-2007, 16:33   #85
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Grey Raven - Are you in the region?

Lot's of boats pushing through here on the way to Langkawi and Phuket for the upcoming regattas. Many coming from Darwin through Indonesia. Not one person talked about piracy or the need to carry an arsenal.
I wish I was in the region. Regrettably, I’m not. If I were, I’d be on way up to Langkawi right now to take part in those regattas – all of them. Just thinking about it makes me want to pack up, book a flight right now and just hightail down there without losing a further minute. As it is, I’ll be coming down to PD in February and will take Spirit up to Langkawi at that time.

You’ll be taking part in those said regattas, que no?

The “donation” thing can happen and, I agree, one smiles as one pays and doesn’t lose a second thought about it. You’d be surprised what kind of a “passage fee” the Austrian tax authorities extort from me and my company each year. Compared to their take, everything else is peanuts.
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Old 26-11-2007, 17:14   #86
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I wish I was in the region. Regrettably, I’m not. If I were, I’d be on way up to Langkawi right now to take part in those regattas – all of them. Just thinking about it makes me want to pack up, book a flight right now and just hightail down there without losing a further minute. As it is, I’ll be coming down to PD in February and will take Spirit up to Langkawi at that time.

You’ll be taking part in those said regattas, que no?

The “donation” thing can happen and, I agree, one smiles as one pays and doesn’t lose a second thought about it. You’d be surprised what kind of a “passage fee” the Austrian tax authorities extort from me and my company each year. Compared to their take, everything else is peanuts.
Unfortunately I really haven't focused on the "annual" sailing calendar around here. I have been invited to crew on a couple of positioning runs (SIngapore-Langkawi) but alas almost all the vacation is consumed ;-( I'll get better organized next year - LOL

I have accepted at least one return positioning in the January time frame. I really want to get some multi-day sea time.

However the northeast is about to set in so our best season is coming up. We have J24 racing in December which should be a blast and the Singapore Straits Regatta in January which we might enter.
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Old 26-11-2007, 17:14   #87
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Geez, seer, what law school did you go to?! Actually, it's good to see that a person can have some entertaining fun while fighting the good fight.

TaoJones
I confess, so far life has not been entirely boring.

shorthand version: born texan; raised in the mountains; engineering student/budding theoretical plasma physicist; drafted, *bang bang*; overseas scholarships, more *bang bang*; bunch of minors, several majors, studied international law overseas, semi *bang bang*; degrees, then law school in US. Which one? Harvard. Rich? No- GI bill.
Then, well, things started getting interesting.

summation from one who should not have lived this long when better men have fallen:

"if one is not careful, he may learn things he would rather not have known."

end of story

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oh, and yes Gord, I've been accused of not being able to *pass* a bar on occasions..heheh. sounds like we should have a drink sometime LOL
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Old 26-11-2007, 22:46   #88
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You can pretty easily rig your lifelines to shock anyone climbing aboard with a std cattle/stock electric fence setup (very cheap) and...
bet that id chew through the anodes.
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Old 27-11-2007, 09:12   #89
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Electric fence

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bet that id chew through the anodes.
There are several safe ways of rigging it up, depending on what kind of boat you have. Remember,it's an independent circuit, no current is actually flowing anywhere, until someone grabs it, and even then we're talking about extremely short pulses of very low current but very high voltage. Steel boats are a bit trickier, but at the moment, an electric perimeter fence off the deck is one of the preferred anti-pirate strategies recommended for the shipping industry. They charge a ton for it too but its very simple to do and can be rigged up with the std. cattle/stock fence from Tractor supply among others. You can also set it to shock with varying strengths, i.e. voltage..on some units enough to knock a would be boarder back into the water, tho frankly, the involuntary reaction to grabbing a rail or lifelines and getting kicked will pretty much do the same thing. The only real hard part is figuring out where to mount it, how to do the insulators, and remembering when to turn it on and off heheh You can even buy battery operated ones that have solar cells in them which charge during the day so they'll work at night. Control box is usually less than the size of a shoe box.

Some other ideas, I've seen a guy with an electronic barking dog he posts one of those signs on the boat, "warning, guard dog " with the drawing of a baaaaad looking dog on it, then periodically during the day, turns on the speaker and has the sony 'bark" a bit... ahhh the wonders of modern technology. You'd be amazed at how realistic it can sound from outside the boat if you've got a halfway decent stereo system on board. fooled me. Course, walking around with your pet yorkie is going to ruin the effect..

I knew a scuba diving chemist once who suggested a totally noxious gas cannister. You could I suppose run the gamut from something that induces immediate nausea, to something that knocks em out. my tanks happen to be in the aft cabin, sooo one could upon waking up and finding someone trying to break into your boat, grab your regulator and then fill the cabin with whatever gas du jour u prefer.

Lots of other little ideas abound..however, in construction and refitting, you might give some thought to modifying your hatches, ports, and windows etc. with a view towards being able to prevent entry while you're down below. Most production boats are pretty miserable in this regard.


In any event, plenty of things to think about.

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