Standing Watch in High Crime Anchorage

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by Great Dane

Compare this paranoia to the fact that there are almost weekly mass shootings in the US.....

Since there are 300 million or more folks in America but I am sure fewer than 10000 cruisers at risk at any moment, you will have to take those disparities into account before making ridiculous comparisons.

[tkeithlu]

When it comes to property crime, convenience is a big variable. They go where it is easy. So, near other occupied boats, not isolated, lots of light, patrol the boat.

Then consider what you are going to do when they show up despite all that. Lots of noise and blinding light come to mind.

No, let's not discuss firearms.

[Saleen411]

Originally Posted by Kokanee

I prefer to just secure any easy to grab valuables and then get a good nights sleep.
"ready to pounce"? Relax! It's not your reality; its your perception.

" Pounce"!!!.... as in flying out of a cupboard, screaming like a banshee, fish billy and ginzo knife in hand ready to do battle!

Tell me that wouldn't scare the pi$$ out of a late night boarder. Worst case is he may laugh himself to death.

Seriously...."Pounce", as I've mentioned before was just a bit of hyperbole.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by Saleen411

" Pounce"!!!


...as I've mentioned before was just a bit of hyperbole.

But appropriate if you did have the earlier mentioned cougar!

[Dave9111]

Spud Cannon....
Yep, that will leave a mark!



I need to check Defender and see if they have a fore deck mount Spud Cannon.



Not Defender ( You'd think...given their name! ) but Amazon has one.



https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Cannon-P...ustomerReviews



Cougar .... yeah, looking at a younger one always causes problems.

[AiniA]

Originally Posted by Saleen411

OR possible...which seems to be a good part of the Caribbean these days.

Sounds like you should give up on cruising and take up golf instead. If you choose to, you will find the world to be a scary place. It isn't you just need to be careful but not paranoid. We have never had an anchor watch except one night in Indonesia where we were anchored so close to shore (in very deep water) that we could not stand any sort of wind switch.

For your particular situation, there is a marina, and charter base on the south shore of St Vincent. I would spend the night there and get up reasonably early in the next morning.

[lestersails]

Originally Posted by Marc1

I still believe the flamethrower is the best solution.
Short of playing Mozart at 120 db.

Oh come on, seriously? Everyone knows you should use Wagner for this.

[Saleen411]

For your particular situation, there is a marina, and charter base on the south shore of St Vincent. I would spend the night there and get up reasonably early in the next morning.

Blue Lagoon?....definitely another possibility.

As to golf?.....got in 18 day before yesterday. Great part time hobby.

As to the world being a scary place? I'll ponder on that as I log my usual 42,000 miles a month.

[Night_Sailor]

Originally Posted by Saleen411

Assume no great security system....no motion detector lights, alarms or weapons. Think basic charter boat.

You feel the need to stand watch for security reasons.....Would you stand watch with lights on and make your presence known?... OR, hide in the dark ready to pounce?

Have any of you stood watch before because you just happen to be in a known high crime area.

Sounds silly I know......but will be my reality in a few months.

Interesting topic.

Motion sensors, search lights...all these are good ideas if you hear something approaching. In general I'd prefer a low profile, stay away from populated areas, and to keep moving as sitting in one spot is asking for trouble. High crime areas? I avoid those. No one can make plans to rob you, if you have moved on or are located far away. I'll bet most robberies are planned with binoculars from a shady spot on shore. You will find me some place very safe or else far from trouble. If I was somewhere dangerous. Yes, I'd have someone on watch.

I never understood the many people who want to be in a crowded harbor and not only that but as close to the dock as possible. That seems to be the case. I suppose if you want to be ashore and be able to see what is going on, on your boat, but even anchored up close someone could approach from an unseen side.

I anchor in places where there are few or no people, and it is not easy to get to shore. I'd rather make my own food and not eat out. I avoid towns. That is where the unpleasant people are to be found.

I tend to use one anchor light. Although I often regret that if I'm anchored somewhere no one else has anchored, as it immediately attracts other people to anchor nearby--the sheep effect. My inclination is to use an anchor light where needed for safety reasons and in periods of restricted visibility. On a clear night in a secluded unused harbor, I turn it off.

If I were someplace risky, by whatever means you assess that, I would not light it up like a christmas tree, I'd keep very low key--no lights or minimal lights. Moonlight is often enough to see by. Lights can be seen for miles and attract attention. I have night vision on my center console. I'd install something like that, or have a handheld device for the person on watch. Those are cheap and easy to use. Very handy for spotting unlit buoys at night also. Night vision allows you to see when it is really dark, and does not tell anyone else that you see them. There are thermal imaging solutions that attach to iPhones also.

Save the 2 million candle power light for the times you want to let someone know you see them and scare them away. It think it would be startling to have a light turned on--directly on an intruder, rather than casting about before finding one. It shows you are completely aware what is going on. And if they are drunks passing by, they need never know they were under observation with night vision the whole time.

I prefer to maximize privacy on the boat with sun screens and awnings both day and night. Make it hard to assess how many people are aboard.

Dinghy thoughts: One fellow I met at Skinny Legs lived in St Croix and rented his house out every winter and moved onto his boat with his wife. He had a plastic coated steel cable running all around the large dink he had-- secured to the outboard, and used a chain and padlocks to shackle his dink to the dock. No one stole it however, I nearly did a face-plant when catching a lift one night as my sandals caught the unseen cable between my toes and my sandal. While that cable was dangerous in the dark, I recognized it was a good option to secure a dinghy and outboard, if you want to leave it and find it when you come back.

Nice tenders and outboard attract thieves. Everyone knows that a 2 hp POS will not be stolen when there is a brand new yanmar 9.9 HP nearby.

No one has ever robbed our house because someone is always home. As are dogs. Once someone tried to pry open a window at night, and was heard and frightened off. If someone is aboard and on-watch that is the best security you can have. You can guess where I'm going with this.

I planning to move up to a large live-aboard catamaran soon. Smaller boats do make me claustrophobic and it is easy to see why many people leave boats unattended. Who could stay aboard a small boat long term? It's less of a problem on bigger catamarans. Bigger is better up to a certain point. Bigger boats have room for on-board crew. Makes watch keeping, having someone always onboard--possible. Nice boat, come visit, bring food!

Ideally, I'd like to have enough people with me that I can anchor out every night with one couple or one person is always on the boat, and doing pickups and drop offs when needed, and the tender always "attended" and never left where it can be stolen, hoisted up overnight and locked.

If I find that there are only two of us, I will rely more on the dogs to help keep watch. My dogs they bark at moving lights or anything that moves, and they have keen hearing. My worry is they could get excited and fall overboard when no one is around. A leash would solve that problem.

For long term cruising, I would have motion sensor security cameras--easy and so cheap these days, and possibly use wifi connection to monitor things. Installing a wifi repeater and choosing an unused frequency might be as good as being aboard. I am a Ham Radio operator. Radio links can easily be established to have a ear listening on board where any sound on board, breaks squelch on a cross-band link to a handheld radio, so that you can hear what is happening on board. The next step of sophistication, video is not particularly difficult, it just takes a bit of planning for those occasions when you want to know exactly what is happening at all times.

[jamhass]

Suggest a STRONG handheld spotlight and a handheld air horn. If an intruder, hit them with both suddenly to confuse them for a bit. Chances are fair that they will just leave, at least it worked for me once. A handheld VHF to call Securite loudly helps too.

[jamhass]

Originally Posted by lestersails

Oh come on, seriously? Everyone knows you should use Wagner for this.

Badly recorded bagpipe music is a proven deterrent

[Sailgirl58]

Originally Posted by Saleen411

Because I'm basically a moron.

I will be chartering where many people avoid for security reasons. I wouldn't be going except for the fact that people safely sail and anchor where we're going everyday. The areas I wish to cruise may not be perfectly safe, but safe enough.

I only have one night I'm a bit concerned about...that would be the sail back to base from Salt Whistle Bay where we may have to anchor for the night in St Vincent.

I'm not trying to make a huge deal about this.....but I think it would be prudent to keep watch. Just like any other place I thought was a bit sketchy.

We did a charter there 4 years ago with no issues except IN Salt Whistle. We moved to Saline Bay for that night the on to Union Island the next day. Tyrell is also very nice at Carriacou.

[hpaabor]

Originally Posted by Saleen411

Because I'm basically a moron.

I will be chartering where many people avoid for security reasons. I wouldn't be going except for the fact that people safely sail and anchor where we're going everyday. The areas I wish to cruise may not be perfectly safe, but safe enough.

I only have one night I'm a bit concerned about...that would be the sail back to base from Salt Whistle Bay where we may have to anchor for the night in St Vincent.

I'm not trying to make a huge deal about this.....but I think it would be prudent to keep watch. Just like any other place I thought was a bit sketchy.

I think much of this is over worked imagination unless you have real hard facts otherwise. Take the advice of your charter operator who has much more real experience. I found Blue Lagoon perfectly safe and people in Kingstown gave me back a thousand dollar camera I had accidently left behind. Sorry I think the place you are leaving from (home) is likely more dangerous.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by jamhass

Suggest a STRONG handheld spotlight and a handheld air horn. If an intruder, hit them with both suddenly to confuse them for a bit. Chances are fair that they will just leave, at least it worked for me once.

Excellent guidance.

A handheld VHF to call Securite loudly helps too.

As to a VHF Securite call, it would be of distinct benefit to fellow mariners to know that there is / was an intrusion so that they can be made wary and take precautions or even avoid the area, but do realize it would not be enabling to the person making the call as no response is required when one hears a Securite. The listening protocol being to not reply but to instead consider and potentially head the advice / guidance being given.

Of the three distress and urgency calls, Sécurité is the least urgent.

Securite: A radio call that usually issues navigational warnings, meteorological warnings, and any other warning needing to be issued that may concern the safety of life at sea, yet may not be particularly life-threatening.

Pan-pan: This is the second most important call. This call is made when there is an emergency aboard a vessel, yet there is not immediate danger to life, or the safety of the vessel itself. This includes, but is not limited to injuries on deck, imminent collision that has not yet occurred, or being unsure of vessel's position.

Mayday: This is the most important call that can be made, due to the fact that it directly concerns a threat to life or the vessel. Some instances when this call would be made are, but not limited to death, collision, and fire at sea. When the Mayday call is made, the vessel is requiring immediate assistance.

Example usage:

Third on the urgency scale of list of calls, a Safety or Sécurité call takes priority of all communications besides distress and urgency. The DSC safety alert should not be acknowledged by voice, but merely listened to and noted. The proper etiquette for sending a safety alert is as follows: first, the DSC safety alert must be sent on the appropriate channel or frequency. This should be conducted on Ch. 16 or 2182 instead of using a working channel or frequency. Second, the targeted group must be selected, if necessary. This can be all ships, ships of a specific geographic area, or an individual ship. Lastly, the call should be made. GMDSS protocol requires that the safety call must be spoken to attract attention of the selected vessels. Procedure for the call is:

SÉCURITÉ x 3

ALL STATIONS x 3

THIS IS (Ship/Station Identification) x 3

Without a break, continue on to the safety message:

SÉCURITÉ

NAME, CALLSIGN, MMSI

POSITION

NATURE OF SAFETY MESSAGE

ADVICE/OTHER INFORMATION

“OUT”

[Captndave1]

I carry a tactical flashlight that has a high intensity flash feature. With one of these flashing in the eye of an intruder, he will high tail it.