Wasp Spray - The Almost Perfect Solution

[Islander1]

Ordinary Hair spray the like of which some ladies carry in their purses/air freshener/ deodorant spray can also become self-defense weapons, check it out but carefully! When I lived aboard my boat in the Caribbean we always had some to hand. Spray them in an assailant’s eyes; the aerosol’s components act as irritants, cause short-timed enemy’s blindness and disorientation. Another spray use possibility is the flame thrower effect when aerosol spray is ignited with a cigarette lighter. There are quite a number of Scary Demo videos of this on You tube.
By accident I also came across one of a guy who almost blew himself up by lighting a fart! However on a "lighter note"" dropping ones Jammies and pointing ones arse at the assailant while fiddling with the lighter could prove both time consuming and dangerous.

BTW, When unavoidably in a dodgy location, one could also scatter Thumbtacs/Drawing pins on Deck at night in entrance areas, but you have to remember to sweep em up in the morning or else you'll be the one doing the yelping & hollering!


Cheers

[Bruce626]

"When unavoidably in a dodgy location, one could also scatter Thumbtacs/Drawing pins on Deck at night in entrance areas, but you have to remember to sweep em up in the morning or else you'll be the one doing the yelping & hollering!" ==> It seems to me that Slocum (sp?) mentioned this in his book on his circumnavigation in the Straits of Magellan a hundred+ years ago. It seems to me that it would be more efficient to make up some custom fit wood strips with sharpened stainless nails in them. If you make them up in pairs you can easily pick them up and store them by putting the pointy sides together and holding them together with rubber bands. They can be quickly and easily deployed - perhaps using a bit of duct tape to keep them in place. One could also make some pressure switches out of some spring brass and place them under rubber tread mats on the swim steps or other typically traffic points of boarding. When stepped on they can trigger a relay which can perform any number of actions - an alarm in your berth, an audible alarm like a car alarm, lights (and perhaps a camera or video such as a web cam). The technology is simple and inexpensive and the desired actions are limited only by your imagination.

[Islander1]

Reckon we've got it licked Bruce, we could even poison the tips lol

[gonesail]

depending on who or what is coming into your cabin .. spray may just motivate the invader. even in the dark there are not many places you can hide from an enraged attacker. i have seen guys kicked hard in crotch and hit with a baseball bat keep coming. you have to ask yourself just how motivated is this brute breaking into your boat? then decide what you want to do

[Islander1]

Originally Posted by gonesail

depending on who or what is coming into your cabin .. spray may just motivate the invader. even in the dark there are not many places you can hide from an enraged attacker. i have seen guys kicked hard in crotch and hit with a baseball bat keep coming. you have to ask yourself just how motivated is this brute breaking into your boat? then decide what you want to do

An American fellow sailor I knew had no doubt that he would kill not maim an attacker otherwise he could get sued and be responsible for his/her upkeep and meds' etc.
I guess in parts of the world one could get away with it but rightly or wrongly, our laws in the UK often favour the assailant. Only recently have we been allowed to use "reasonable force" (another argument) if we perceive a threat to our property. Not so long ago there was a Farmer named Tony Martin who clearly thought he was acting in self-defence when he shot at two burglars who entered his Norfolk farmhouse at night. He killed one of the intruders and a jury found him guilty of murder and he got a life sentence.

[Bruce626]

"depending on who or what is coming into your cabin .. spray may just motivate the invader. even in the dark there are not many places you can hide from an enraged attacker" ==> 'what'??? - I am not thinking that large predators are much of a problem on an anchored or moored yacht, or even one in a marina.

We are not likely dealing with 'Jason' here - the threat is likely going to come from local fisherman who are perhaps down on their luck and/or under the influence of alcohol. Intruders are not supermen, they are performing an illegal act in strange circumstances and are likely very nervous and more prepared to flee than fight. All one typically needs to do is provide them some motivation to flee. Their two biggest concerns are light and sound - this is why they are trying to be stealthy in the dark. Throwing light on them can cause temporary blindness, rob them of their night vision, and expose them to identification. Sound makes them fear that they will be seen or caught. By and large, these people hope to be successful sneak thieves, not muggers - they want to steal, not fight. Any encounter with a person greatly increases the chances they will be caught and the severity of the penalties goes up - most will flee at the first sign that things have gone wrong - they mostly know that you are not going to chase them and they can try again after lying low for a bit - probably on an easier target.

I think it unlikely that one will encounter a bear or a drug crazed intruder on an anchored yacht. People under the influence of PCP are not rowing around the anchorage at night looking for victims to rob.

You cannot wait for the situation to occur and 'then decide what to do'. An effective response requires that you have prepared for the potential situation - mentally, physically, and having prepared any equipment you might want to use. This is what training is for - in a crisis, one does what they have trained to do. If you have not trained your mind and body what to do, then you will likely do what you have 'trained' to do - i.e. nothing, you will freeze up with shock and indecision. You don't need the best plan, but you do need a plan that you have thought through, visualized, and practiced - this is why we all practice crew overboard exercises and has specialized gear on hand to deal with the emergency.

[Islander1]

I feel that in most case scenarios at least for night time, the sharpened stainless nails method on the deck combined with the audible alarm & lights (scary volume) is worthy of serious consideration and in all probability may be they would be less inclined to give it a second go..Blowing people away or cutting them up would in all probability cause some serious repercussion issues both with the relations, friends and of course the law...Prevention better than cure and all that good stuff...What about the old large dog barking alarm recordings, they used to be available; problem is some folk may think they can also nab fido for dinner!

[Bruce626]

"What about the old large dog barking alarm recordings, they used to be available; problem is some folk may think they can also nab fido for dinner" ==> A recording of a barking dog is just one of an number of audible alarms that are available - but in third world countries, yachts are typically under close scrutiny because of their rarity - if there is no evidence of a dog on board the recording will simply function like any other audible alarm. One could, of course, enhance the illusion if one had a stuffed or ceramic dog (but one would then have to remember to move it around - becoming a hassle).

Having a real dog serves as a backup alarm system and is likely to have some deterrent value as many people are afraid to be bitten. There are only a few places where dog meat is consumed and often these are smaller dogs - and especially dogs bred for this purpose or captured on the streets. It is not likely that people will attempt to subdue and capture a guard dog to get a meal. Even here in the Philippines where dog is eaten by some groups, the practice is not widespread, further, most Filipinos are afraid of black dogs and are not likely to attempt to subdue or capture one that is alert and barking.

[Islander1]

Originally Posted by Bruce626

"What about the old large dog barking alarm recordings, they used to be available; problem is some folk may think they can also nab fido for dinner" ==> A recording of a barking dog is just one of an number of audible alarms that are available - but in third world countries, yachts are typically under close scrutiny because of their rarity - if there is no evidence of a dog on board the recording will simply function like any other audible alarm. One could, of course, enhance the illusion if one had a stuffed or ceramic dog (but one would then have to remember to move it around - becoming a hassle).

Having a real dog serves as a backup alarm system and is likely to have some deterrent value as many people are afraid to be bitten. There are only a few places where dog meat is consumed and often these are smaller dogs - and especially dogs bred for this purpose or captured on the streets. It is not likely that people will attempt to subdue and capture a guard dog to get a meal. Even here in the Philippines where dog is eaten by some groups, the practice is not widespread, further, most Filipinos are afraid of black dogs and are not likely to attempt to subdue or capture one that is alert and barking.

Dog meat a speciality in Pampanga, when we meet up I'll relate a true story about it.
Guess we're back to a stuffed bear in the cockpit haha!

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Feral Cement

Does anyone out there carry a spear gun for fishing? Decent range in air, fairly accurate, and menacing as all git out. By the time I'm down to PB Blaster for self-defense, I'm also using my hands, feet, teeth, etc. If it were life and death, I'd shot someone on board with my flare gun.

John

I can't imagine having the time to load a spear gun and fire it before an attacker was upon you. You would need a single-purpose one, as most have tethers connecting the shaft to the gun - limiting their range - and guns made for fishing are too long to be swinging around inside a boat.

And I wouldn't want a loaded spear gun hanging around inside the boat waiting for use.

Mark

[zeehag]

so we are back to my louisville slugger and squashing melons.....with a bright light and loud noise.....

[sailorboy1]

rubber bands at 10 feet and if this doesn't stop them spitwads at 3 feet

[Sailor g]

Maybe just improve the fake dog or fake people. I need to get more technical then I can hook strings to move the arms like in Home Alone.

At anchor, I hope the tipping the boat when someone climbs on will wake me as well as our "alarm system" of squeaky floorboards! Then it's whatever I can hit with including flying canned goods, knives, spraying bug stuff or flaming cooking oil and tools.

[Islander1]

Originally Posted by Sailor g

Maybe just improve the fake dog or fake people. I need to get more technical then I can hook strings to move the arms like in Home Alone.

At anchor, I hope the tipping the boat when someone climbs on will wake me as well as our "alarm system" of squeaky floorboards! Then it's whatever I can hit with including flying canned goods, knives, spraying bug stuff or flaming cooking oil and tools.

Just watched an oldish movie "The Island" with Michael Caine". Don't show it to the wife and kids if you wanna get them into sailing!..On the other hand, show it to them if you want to single hand!

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Islander1

... Not so long ago there was a Farmer named Tony Martin who clearly thought he was acting in self-defence when he shot at two burglars who entered his Norfolk farmhouse at night. He killed one of the intruders and a jury found him guilty of murder and he got a life sentence.

The case wasn't as simple as you suggest.
Tony Martin was convicted of murder, which was reduced to manslaughter on appeal; and his life sentence reduced to 5 years. He was released after serving three years.
The prosecution theory had Martin lying in wait, to ambush the two burglars.