Security

[REsCat]

Originally Posted by Teknav

The islands in the Caribbean that have very low crime rate are: Statia, St. Barts, Martinique, Guadeloupe, BVI, Anguilla, Barbuda and Antigua. Statia and St. Barts are almost crime free. St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis have the highest.

Mauritz

Where in the Bahamas other that some bad streets of Nassau or Freeport?

I spent 2 weeks in Tobago a few months ago, was all over the island and I would not categorize it as high crime by any estimation.

Bob

[Teknav]

The IBT report lumped a few islands together without merits. Nassau and Trinidad are among the culprits. Bahamas' outer islands and Tobago are safe.

Mauritz

[Jrs1958]

I appreciate your input.

[sabray]

If you don't want to carry a mossberg there are good alternatives that are carried legally everywhere. Wasp and hornet spray with a 20foot range is nasty stuff especially in the eyes. Tactical high out put lighting. Especially if it has high frequency strobe. These are great flashlights and even if you aren't worried about attack a great tool. My boat had a boarder in Annapolis md while I was asleep below. Scared the **** out if me. He didn't think I was aboard so I scared him too. Plus one on lockng up.

[Therapy]

Wasp/hornet spray is (still) a myth.

[sabray]

Why do you say that? Just getting it on your skin is uncomfortable. In your eyes its painful. As an intruder that is not expecting a response it is a good legal tool. What myth?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Re-read Mark's post. It is the only first line of defense that is proven to be 100% effective. If you want an open hatch, you can put bars in that too but make sure not to sleep directly underneath or you may get a nasty wake-up call.

I think anything can be kicked in or broken apart with a crowbar. The thing is that long before they manage that, they hear Mr Mossberg ram a shell into the chamber and thus know what comes next. They sense danger and when you have a (any) violent plan ready for when they start kicking in the entrance, they will probably adjust their attitude and go away. Just make sure your plan is effective in case they come anyway.

My Conan-like body scares any scumbag away when we enter an anchorage but we keep safety procedures in place regardless

Mine has em laughing to hard to do anything...

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by sabray

Why do you say that? Just getting it on your skin is uncomfortable. In your eyes its painful. As an intruder that is not expecting a response it is a good legal tool. What myth?

How do you know? Experts say it is not effective at all and that it is illegal and will get you in jail if youuse it, while pepperspray is often legal...

[bobconnie]

I put a picture of me with my shotgun on the main locked hatch! If the uglyness don't scare em the shotgun do !! LOL

[belizesailor]

One thing to bear in mind about violent crime statistics...the high murder rates in several Central American countries are not high because they are killing tourists and cruisers. If you are not involved in the drug biz, gangs, or politics and take reasonable precautions then your odds of being a victim of a violent crime are quite low.

I've lived/traveled all over Central America by sea and land and have, fortunately, never encountered any trouble. Bad events can happen of course but the odds are not high for the typical cruiser.

[sabray]

Security consultants in Washington, D.C. Are training people in the use and encouraging the application . I'm open to being wrong but the institution I work for had local enforcement in and they were training us and encouraging the use. That's the best information I can give. If you want to dispute this then give me better data often you do but your mossberg is more illegal unless you live in Florida.

[sabray]

Wasp spray. I seriously doubt anyone is going to press charges if you nail some perp with wasp spray when he is actively breaking into your home. The federal law banning the use of pesticides for use other then its intended purpose is not intended if its used as a last resort. Self defense. Give me a break. After looking a little further into this wasp spray can be effective according to the Internet. Never mind what consultants working for local schools are saying. Pepper spray in washington can be carried if the purchaser registers the product. W&p spray can be purchased without that. I don't think the Feds are going to charge my wife with misuse of a pesticede if she happens in a moment of need to grab a can and blast some idiot that's breaking into the house. Really now. Yes a face full if wasp spray is a significant deterrent.

[Dulcesuenos]

I have read somewhere that a mouth/ throatfull of wasp spray can be very lethal. Just roll the body into the water and go back to sleep.

[David_Old_Jersey]

My feeling is that if someone visits somewhere that they are not 100% certain about and go to sleep surrounded by valuables AND leaves open access that they deserve everything they get. It's Darwin in action.

The Mark J solution really only requires a bit of forethought and some effort and you can create a "defence" that a) takes seconds to use and b) will stop 99% prowlers getting below. For the others you will have an early alarm (from the noise to force entry) and then you get the options of Shouting at them, spraying with Wasp Spray, shooting them or simply stabbing them repeatedly until they get the point (lol) whilst they are trying to enter (most hatches only allow access one at a time - so even with a dozen assailants not a problem). Of course it won't stop those who are armed - but those be a minority, and even with those a hatch gives enough warning to either surrender or shoot back (first). Never heard of a gun that would be any use when the assailant is standing above you when you are fast asleep - but to be fair, I am not in the NRA........

[s/v Jedi]

There have been security experts at this and they all state it is about delaying entry combined with a deterrent. There is no gun issue because there are plenty of alternatives, but wasp spray is not one of them. The guy that starts kicking in the reinforced companionway hatch does not care about the noise or anything and will most probably hurt or kill you when he gets in. The 99% that would not hurt or kill you, would leave when blocked entry, instead of starting to kick it in.

This means that you need to present a lethal deterrent to the one that does start kicking in the entry. A gun is only one possibility. Another one is a crossbow which is legal in every country that I know. Or a spear which can even be a pointed stick. There is enough choice for everyone. Even the speargun will do except how many spears do you have with it? Think, make a viable plan and then go out there and enjoy because it will probably never be needed to activate the plan. It is like a smoke detector; it is there to help us in a situation we hope will never happen, but we install it anyway.