Safety and Cruising

[rognvald]

What is a cruiser's rationale for sailing to countries that have a real, consistent threat of theft and crime against the person? From theft of dinghies, outboards and personal property to robberies, mayhem and worse it seems inconsistent with one's reason for cruising. Can anyone provide a logical answer to this question? In Exodus mode . . . Rognvald

[Attikos]

I guess it's kind of like visiting Washington, DC. You know there's a risk, but you really want to see the place.

[conachair]

Even Brazil wasn't that bad, major US cities are some of the scariest places I've been to. The bigger European cities you really need to keep your wits about you as well but at least they won't have guns.

Where is it that bad?

[boatman61]

Theres a lot of American paranoia about French Side St Martin... Machete attacks etc..
Yet I have hung out in Phillipsburg Dutch Side and Marigot Town and Sandy Ground French Side till 4am where I am the only 'white face' in the bar.. friendly folks and no more stress than a white bar Dutch Side with an aggresive honkey pisshead looking to vent his frustrations on someones face.. these come in all shades.
Folks like you create trouble where next to none exist.

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by rognvald

What is a cruiser's rationale for sailing to countries that have a real, consistent threat of theft and crime against the person? From theft of dinghies, outboards and personal property to robberies, mayhem and worse it seems inconsistent with one's reason for cruising. Can anyone provide a logical answer to this question? In Exodus mode . . . Rognvald

You'll find that once you are outside of the U.S. things are generally much safer and low key!

[dwedeking2]

I stay in my mom's basement at all times. It's safe there.



The reality is that there isn't anyplace that is entirely safe or trouble free. You have to take rational precautions to protect you and your stuff and take an honest assesment of your acceptable level of risk (which is an unique level to each person).

[goat]

Yikes! Does this mean I'm going to die?

[JPA Cate]

Hello, rognvald,

The US has become a more fearful country since the events of 9/11 and thereafter, and I think that perhaps the general fearfulness may be affecting you. You'll learn if that is so after you re-consider how you feel after a yr. or two cruising, compared to now.

No logical explanations here, because fear is an emotion, and emotions seem to have rules of their own. Just feel it, and get on with what it is that you want to do.

Take reasonable precautions, and simply accept that life is always uncertain: it's a choice as to how much attention to pay to that uncertainty. The picture above of the little kid in the safe zone, that was me at about 5--except I had crocodiles in the ghost zone. It isn't that there aren't crocs in the world, but one learns about them, and takes reasonable precautions....and one's ultimate fate IS known, it's all the stuff between now and the end that is the problem!

May you have wonderful cruising experiences!

Ann

[sailorboy1]

It’s the same fear for going “places” in general due the the perceived danger. Most crime is petty and in a LOT places crime is mostly personal property related in areas that are pretty obvious to avoid .

[rognvald]

I'm not new to cruising. We've logged almost 20K miles throughout the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and the US. We lived aboard and cruised full-time for ten years from 1995-2005. We're preparing a 4K mile sail to begin at the end of the month from Chicago to Tampa, Florida and beyond. So, I wasn't looking for any sort of encouragement or anything even close to that but rather wondered why some seemingly intelligent people are willing to risk their personal safety to visit a place(s) where there is a known presence of real danger. Do they believe it won't happen to them? Do they disregard the potential risk to their wives/children/friends? Have they ever experienced a life-threatening situation in their lives or do they always imagine it only happens to other people? I grew up on the streets of Chicago as a young person and know and have experienced real violence first-hand throughout much of my youth. I don't believe most cruisers have come from that sort of background. And, through the years we have met many cruisers and the majority of them are nice people and in my opinion, exceptionally sheltered and they are usually the ones who show the most bravado out of ignorance and naivete. Perhaps what I'm saying is that we all are responsible for our lives and if the only reason you cruise is to find the next palm tree . . . perhaps you should question your reason for cruising. Good luck and safe sailing . . . Rognvald

[conachair]

Originally Posted by rognvald

So, I wasn't looking for any sort of encouragement or anything even close to that but rather wondered why some seemingly intelligent people are willing to risk their personal safety to visit a place(s) where there is a known presence of real danger.

Where are these awful places?

Pick pretty much any western large city - there will be 'a known presence of real danger', why would any intelligent person consider spending time in one?

[markpierce]

A disadvantage of traveling on a boat is you are not part of a larger group. Best to travel in a large group where one's afraid. Personally, prefer to tour/visit areas of cultural or natural beauty rather than third-world/unstable countries.

[Seabeau]

Actually here in the US, if you exclude those murdered while engaged in illegal activities including drug and human trafficking, the violent crime rate is as low as that of western European countries.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by rognvald

I'm not new to cruising. We've logged almost 20K miles throughout the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and the US. We lived aboard and cruised full-time for ten years from 1995-2005. We're preparing a 4K mile sail to begin at the end of the month from Chicago to Tampa, Florida and beyond. So, I wasn't looking for any sort of encouragement or anything even close to that but rather wondered why some seemingly intelligent people are willing to risk their personal safety to visit a place(s) where there is a known presence of real danger. Do they believe it won't happen to them? Do they disregard the potential risk to their wives/children/friends? Have they ever experienced a life-threatening situation in their lives or do they always imagine it only happens to other people? I grew up on the streets of Chicago as a young person and know and have experienced real violence first-hand throughout much of my youth. I don't believe most cruisers have come from that sort of background. And, through the years we have met many cruisers and the majority of them are nice people and in my opinion, exceptionally sheltered and they are usually the ones who show the most bravado out of ignorance and naivete. Perhaps what I'm saying is that we all are responsible for our lives and if the only reason you cruise is to find the next palm tree . . . perhaps you should question your reason for cruising. Good luck and safe sailing . . . Rognvald

Rognvald.. Time you and others woke up to a fact of life.
The world is a violent and dangerous place no matter how much some folk want to pretend it is not.. always has been.. always will be..
Try being the only white kid in a school of nearly 2000 Pakistani kids.. its an education in survival.. the only difference between us is I have not let it colour my life.
Violence is only just around the corner no matter where one goes.. all it needs is a trigger and the sons of the many gods go into killing mode..
Their individual god is on their side.. be they Manson, Neilson, Kim or Nuttyyahoo..
Or just some nutter in a car..
Walk in fear and you'll live in fear and fear has a distinctive smell that draws in the beasts and the bullies.
Laugh and the world laughs with you.. cry and your just another victim looking for a kicking.

[Dsanduril]

Originally Posted by rognvald

...wondered why some seemingly intelligent people are willing to risk their personal safety to visit a place(s) where there is a known presence of real danger. Do they believe it won't happen to them? Do they disregard the potential risk to their wives/children/friends? Have they ever experienced a life-threatening situation in their lives or do they always imagine it only happens to other people?. . . Rognvald

You can ask the same questions about many activities in life. Your non-boating friends would probably ask the same questions about sailing the open ocean.

Why would anyone live in Chicago, it's known to have a homicide rate (23.8) that is 4 times the US average (5.3)? Seems that there are lots of safer places, why expose self or family there?

How about riding in a car? In the US 35k die and 2.2 million are injured every year in car accidents (that is 1 in 145 injured every year). If you're a family of four that means that (on average) 2 out of your 4 family members will be injured in a car accident during their lives. Why would anyone ride in a car?

Heck, how about the new risks of 'smart' keyless car systems? Never would have thought it a risk, but people are unknowingly leaving the car running, closing up the garage, and then dying of carbon monoxide poisoning as the exhaust creeps into their house. I never would have even thought of that as a risk, regularly use a 'smart' key that never comes out of my pocket, and yet it seems there is a very real risk of not actually hitting the 'off' button when getting out of the car - and then you die.

Either you evaluate the risks and accept them, or you ignore the risks and think it will never happen to you, or don't even know about the risks in the first place. Whichever way it results in people engaging in risky activities. We all have different (and generally flawed) perceptions of the risks we take vs. those taken by others.