Cruisers are taking this seriously!
The big news around these parts is the recent string of burglaries that have taken place in Mt. Hartman Bay, our home for the past week or so. To my knowledge, up to this point, all of the boats that have been broken into have been unoccupied, stored here for the season, or some other increment of time. That said, even though none of the occupied boats have, as of yet, had any problems, the cruisers here are taking the threat to their homes very seriously.
A meeting was called yesterday morning, and it was well attended by boaters from Mt. Hartman and the adjacent bays, as well as by a few concerned local business people. After a focused discussion, numerous cruisers volunteered to participate in a dinghy patrol, with the idea that they would work in shifts to have someone on the lookout for suspicious activity during the nighttime hours. This is all to be coordinated with the Coast Guard, and will hopefully make it obvious to the thieves that they should ply their trade elsewhere.
Will they be successful? My guess is yes. Time will tell though. In years past, people here have observed that crimes of this nature often seem to be seasonal, peaking twice per year, just before carnival, which is scheduled to take place in a few weeks, and just before the Christmas holidays. Hopefully soon enough the only time cruisers will be out in their dinghies after dark is when they’re returning from a late-night beach party, or enjoying themselves with friends in a full-moon dinghy drift.
If you’re interested in reading about some of the other security-related issues that cruisers in this region have had to contend with, check out the website of the Caribbean Safety and Security Net.
In reading one of the reports on that link it mentioned that thieves demanded cell phones so that the victims could not call for help. The victims handed over old cells that were not used. Good idea to recycle old mobiles and keep the active ones well hidden.
A friend of ours had his boat broken into in Vieux Fort, St. Lucia. He had a non-functioning computer and camera sitting out in the open, and the thieves took them, not bothering to search more carefully for the good stuff that he had tucked away.
For clarification for anyone reading this, Greg is not referring to the incidents that I just wrote about.
It seems that the south coast of Grenada all the way to Triniland is hot…as are the BVIs>
#3 suggestion from https://www.safetyandsecuritynet.com/passage-precautions/
“Separate and hide valuables in multiple unpredictable areas on board, including passports and boat papers. If possible, hide a spare GPS and handheld VHF radio as well as a smart phone, tablet or laptop with all your contacts and other important information in them. Have a “sacrificial stash” to surrender.”
Unfortunately, security and convenience are inversely proportional.
Years ago, I made up a “sacrificial wallet”. Its an old, well used wallet, with an outdated credit card, an expired drivers license and $30 inside. This wallet is “in the open” and ready for grabs. Although never taken, it is the first thing I’ll offer. By the way, of what use is a phone to thieves if it has a password?
The wallet is an excellent idea. As for the phone, I couldn’t say. They may even be traceable.
Seems to Me the rash of burglaries is similar in time aspect. I have been in a few places that have a rash of burglaries starting 2 weeks before Christmas, and also 2 weeks before Semana Santa (Easter). But it is part of sailing. Remember that most of the places I cruise, think that boaters are made of money, heck they think the same way in the US and Canada. The difference is, that they live on a few dollars a day, and not 4 or 5 hundreds like many north Americans. So although it is deplorable, it is part of boating life. Vigilance is the way. Know your surroundings, who comes and go. Keep the VHF on and agree on a common channel for cruisers etc…. There are many things We can do to avert the problem. But please, do not bad mouth the whole country for only a few bad apples. My car was broken into 3 times in Vancouver, and yet most of the world thinks it is a great place to either live or visit. There are a few no go zone in My world, but in general, don’t believe every thing you read in a news paper or on the internet about the security of a country or its people. There are actually at this time a lot of countries that are putting travel alerts about the US. So yup it works both ways.
Happy safe sailling all.
J-M
S/V Ete Infini
The nature of modern life is that the news of crimes spreads like wildfire, especially those committed against boaters. While we may still opt to visit some destinations where crimes have been reported, like here for example, we are at least educated about what has occurred, and that’s a good thing.