Avoiding being a victim of pirates and thieves while cruising/voyaging

[Group9]

Originally Posted by chrisr

and name to "HMS / USS xxxxx"...neat idea. must try that...

cheers,

USS Comegetsome.

[flee27]

The map is interesting. In my ignorance I always assumed the east coast of Africa was the "hot area", not the west coast.

Foster

[Tillikum]

Originally Posted by ELC

Something else that has worked well for me and a few other old friends. If you're going to be in port for a bit volunteer some free help to some locals who could use it.

Pitched in on carpentry projects and boat repairs that I have the skills and tools for. Another friend was a mechanic who would help local fishing boats fix their boats. Others would go do some maintenance at an orphanage if there was one.

Not hard to find. Look around, ask a local church even talked with the local hardware store once. Helping out locals gets more than some warm fuzzies. Been given very accurate advice on where is good and where to avoid. Had locals put out the word for folks to make sure people looked out for us.

One guy took me aside and gave me several contacts. If I had any trouble I was to get with them immediately and they would make sure my family and I were taken care of. Why I asked? Because we like people like you!

One place I was at had two prices when I showed up to get supplies. One if it was for another yacht and a lower one if it was for me.

As others have said look low key, learn how to be polite in the local culture. Try being a hit humble. Be more of an asset then another rude demanding tourist.

Very wise and humane policy. I would consider bringing along some of whatever locals might be in need of that is relatively inexpensive and available in one's other ports of call/home port.

[john manning]

Never seen a pirate, I must sail in the wrong places.

Regards thieves. In 2011 I sailed from NZ to Fiji. On leaving Auckland, while passing North Head I removed the cockpit door and stowed it. Spent 3 months in Fiji, anchored in dozens of bays, left the boat unattended and went ashore nearly every day. Sailed back to NZ and refitted the cockpit door when entering the Bay of Islands. Boat with no security for nearly 4 months. No problems.

Its not that bad out there. Choose your destination wisely.

[wingssail]

We viewed this as three separate problems:

1. Pirates who stop you at sea

   Avoidance. For this we just use whatever resources we can get to find out the risky areas and don't go there. There are websites and radio nets. Noonsite is a big help. For example we went around Africa instead of through the Red Sea although it meant we didn't get to the Mid East or Europe, the risk of piracy 10 years ago was too high. Once under way we travel normally, without extra precautions. We always have AIS on and transmitting, we show running lights, we don't shun the use of radio, and we sail normal routes (however we did steer wide of Venezuela)

2. Robbers who board you at anchor

   Common Sense. Using the same resources as above we gained an awareness of places where it is dangerous. We'd rather anchor with other boats, but in some countries there are few boats. We go there anyhow but stay alert. One strategy we use is to not linger alone in an anchorage off of a dubious town. The longer you are sitting in plain sight the more time you give some jugheads the idea that they can do some mischief.
   
   We never had any metal bars on the hatches or companionway, no guns, no burglar alarms but we did try not to look like inviting targets when intown, etc. We never had any problem but there were a few nights in Papua New Guinea when the local bad boys made us nervous. A real good strategy is to visit the villages and make acquaintance with the chiefs or head man. They don't want their boys to cause trouble.

3. Petty theft off of your boat

   Keep your boat un inviting. We don't look like a fancy boat. Not a lot of shiny items visible on deck, (in fact NOTHING on deck) and a little tatty here and there helps. We dress simply and don't flash money around in town. we have had a few minor hits on our boat. In the Philippines some kids in small bancas stole a short piece of brightly colored line from our windvane, We saw them do it while we were motoring away from them in our dingy. We raised hell but didn't get it back.
   
   In Mexico this year a guy in a local anchorage stole the Lifesling off of our stern pulpit. We didn't notice that right away but we could narrow down the date by photos of our boat taken a day or two before and after.
   
   This has not been bad in 34 years.

Ashore it is a different story. We've had pickpockets, purse snatchings, and credit card crimes. We've never experienced violence but we've heard of it. This can happen in any country, some are more dangerous than others.

So, both ashore and afloat, use your head but don't let fear rule your life.

[jon villa]

On my years of cruising in new and unfamiliar areas, regardless of national or abroad, I always found the best information on safety in general (pyracy, safety ashore, local weather, etc.) from local fishermen and humble regular people ashore. A perfect cenario to learn the local language, customs and to forge friendships, it worked well for me.

[Hillbillybuddha]

Every week I see posts like this; how to avoid being a victim; can I bring guns; things I can improvise as a weapon, etc.

I'm absolutely surprised at how afraid people are. I've never felt unsafe while traveling, and I've taken solo motorcycle tripsall around Central America. Hell, I rarely feel unsafe in the US, but I'm probably in more danger in the US than anywhere I've traveled.

Honestly, it must be exhausting to consistently feel in danger and suspicious of your fellow human beings.

The rate of danger cruising is soooo much lower than the danger you face just driving a car.

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by acem

However do y'all avoid being the victim of thieves and pirates while cruising or voyaging in unfamiliar places?

I'm very familiar with avoiding and dealing with criminal elements on land. I'm pretty comfortable in my limited crusing time in unfamiliar areas of the southern us.


Thx-Ace

IMO, and not a lot of offense meant, but asking about pirates is a pretty novice question. There simply statistically isn't any. Period.

Thieves, and petty theft - its the same as on land. If you leave a convertible parked in a poor public place with it's top down and a laptop sitting on the seat, expect it to be stole. If you leave your door's open and live in a sketchy area, expect to be broken into.

There are a ton of ways to deter theft on your boat and have been discussed maybe 100 times on this forum. If you do a google search you'll find them. Spreading tacks on the deck is almost always brought up and I'd love to actually see the boat that does that. Really, it would be hilarious. Rusted round spots all over it's topsides and the Cap walking around with a bandage on his foot because he missed picking one up in the morning. Good grief, that would be something to see.

[alitaptap]

In my experience of cruising and delivering around SE Asia (Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore) pirates are almost non-existent compared to opportunist thieves.

While Cruising:
- plan your route to avoid known hot-spots, e,g, Basilan & Sulu archipelago off West Mindanao (S, E and N Mindanao are safe)
- stay 15NM off-shore where possible
- keep your AIS on (didn't have such things last century) and the running lights by night – true pirates will almost never approach a sailing yacht at night
- find the Ham frequency & schedule for cruising yachts in your area
- always fly the relevant country courtesy flag
- in general do not fly your flag of registry, especially if there are negative geo-political connections to the country you are sailing through (except off Vietnam, where it is required), or carry an alternative flag aboard
- have a stock of different brightly coloured T-shirts aboard so that if a boat appears to take notice of you and moves closer then all aboard your boat can go down and change shirts every five minutes or so, so that there appear to be more people aboard than there are
- if you do have a handgun (the only firearm that is really useful) then if you feel like someone is moving in closer with intent you can throw a bottle/floatie over the opposite side and engage in some casual target practice, this sends a clear message, N.B. I have never carried a firearm on my boats (penalties are too high if stopped by authorities in SE Asia) and a friend of mine who did had a very discrete place to stow it when in port – I usually carry a short, heavy baseball bat but I have never had to use it

When Anchoring:
- whenever possible anchor before 4pm so that local fishermen will see you as they go out or return, and you should flag at least one of them down to ask for some fish – it's fresh and you will make a friend (because the fisherman will not have to declare that sale to his wife if he chooses not to)
- buy local
- never leave anything on deck that could be removed easily
- dress down (clothes and attitude)
- if anchored off a remote village or town then go ashore the morning after arrival and take a bunch of school supplies (notebooks, pencils etc. - we always bought/carried a stock for this purpose) and donate these to the nearest school
- never invite anyone aboard and handle all interactions from the rail with smiles
- have a really large, handheld floodlight plugged-in and ready for action at night (only had to use ours once, very effective)
- lift your dinghy at night


Ideas I never thought of before reading this thread:
- change the HP number on the outboard to 5HP or less
- put some patches on the dinghy (even if it is not inflatable)
- put some rust stains on the hull (even if it is fibreglass/wood)
- tacks or jacks on the deck at night (interesting; don't forget to carry a big magnet)

Since I started sailing in 1992, I have never encountered any pirates and the only thing ever lost through petty theft was a small anchor off the transom rail (I should have put it in the locker).

Be friendly, be safe and enjoy the wonderful people of the World.

[Perfect Ride]

Originally Posted by acem

However do y'all avoid being the victim of thieves and pirates while cruising or voyaging in unfamiliar places?


If you don't know the area how do you find out?

What do you do with your boat to avoid becoming a victim?

Ace,

A few points to add and a couple to reemphasize.



- Of the prior notes, one best to repeat is to be kind and as close to looking, dressing and acting low profile and just fitting in. If the locals like you, they will most likely look out for you.

- Information and avoidance is key, many of the online sources listed are great starts. Often petty crime is limited to just a few offenders in a specific bay, move from that bay and the problems drop. Stop by the cruisers bar, listen in to any local nets, as they say, bad news travels fast, you just have to be listening. Having said that, the generic, often county general warnings ended up being some of the best places we visited. Said another way, I look for specific examples of crimes, not generalities, it helps ground the level of threats.
- Location is important factor in gauging levels of vigilance: The vast majority of small population threats are from a couple kids or local thugs, when they go to jail, boat crime stopped. For larger population areas, crime can be more organized and diverse. That story of how to not be eaten by a bear: you do not have to be the fastest runner, just don't be the slowest. That applies to being in an anchorage: you just want to be a less appetizing target than the other boats around you. If you see that you look most vulnerable, pay extra attention.

- Store or lock stuff up. Pull toys in at night. Pull dingy up at night. Use an easy to lock cable or chain on dingy that includes motor, fuel and craft. We always locked as a matter of habit. Only takes a second. Color or make distinctive, both cover and inner engine on outboard. You may see locals with outboards without a cover, that has been removed to remove any identifiable marks. We keep our dingy looking pretty old, and the engine is covered in stickers and a yellow pad.

- Lights! I hooked a rear arch light (we are on a cat) that lights up the transom and cockpit. That is tied to our anchor light, connected to an optical sensor. If the sun is down those lights were on. Helps both with theft and letting others see your boat from dingy height. In most places a well lit cockpit will make you one of the last choices of criminals. If on a budget, motion sensor solar landscape lights tie wrapped to a stantion can do the trick.

- If you have some extra $ check out flagship marine at boatalarm.com, they do an alarm system that is pretty comprehensive. If you are boarded, being able to set off an alarm or lights from the berth, lets you scare the timid and non-drugged from the boat, if they keep coming after that you know you have to deal with a serious threat and can prepare appropriately.

for being on the dock:

- choose marinas wisely, check forums, etc.

- make friends with the security guards.
- keep an extra set of sandals on dock when away so it looks like someone is on the boat.
- leave lights on. Amazon has a $10 timer circuit that when coupled with an optical sensor will allow salon lights go on and off after sunset when you are away.



We have had very little trouble around the world. My general experience: smaller populations people are nicer, larger population density people are less so. Most people of any country are wonderful, most governments are less so. Understanding and respecting local customs and cultures has a huge value towards being welcomed, and the relative since of safety, in the end, isn't that why we are doing this?



Hope this helps,
Rand

[Scorpius]

Personally I like the South African anti-car-jacking system: run a perforated pipe around your hull like a rub-rail, connect it to a propane tank (or better compressed natural gas as it flows faster) with a solenoid valve controlled from below and hook up a piezoelectric barbecue lighter controlled by the same switch.

If anyone boards uninvited, flip the switch and poof: fried pirate.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Scorpius

Personally I like the South African anti-car-jacking system: run a perforated pipe around your hull like a rub-rail, connect it to a propane tank (or better compressed natural gas as it flows faster) with a solenoid valve controlled from below and hook up a piezoelectric barbecue lighter controlled by the same switch.

If anyone boards uninvited, flip the switch and poof: fried pirate.

Please folks,DON'T DO THIS. I wrote it tongue-in-cheek (although such a system does, or at least used to, exist). There are MUCH less violent ways of avoiding piracy - which have been admirably presented in this thread - than this.

Besides, if you avoid high-danger areas, I expect I have more chance of dying being hit by a bus crossing the street, or struck by lightning, or a stray bullet from a shooting a block away, than I have from piracy. It's not one of my top concerns.

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by Scorpius

Personally I like the South African anti-car-jacking system: run a perforated pipe around your hull like a rub-rail, connect it to a propane tank (or better compressed natural gas as it flows faster) with a solenoid valve controlled from below and hook up a piezoelectric barbecue lighter controlled by the same switch.

If anyone boards uninvited, flip the switch and poof: fried pirate.

While this anti-hijack story is funny, it is really just another urban myth. Someone fitted one up as a joke but honestly, the one that appeared in the press and on social media was probably the only one ever built and AFAIK, was never used in anger.

In busy cities, vigilance is just the same as if one is a land-bound tourist. If you’re not vigilant you’re a potential victim. Leaving expensive looking stuff in the cockpit or on the back seat of your rental will achieve similar results. In remote areas, nothing beats making friends with the locals (already said by others).

When we’re headed for the islands, we take along a box full of inexpensive stuff that doesn’t last and because it doesn’t last, it is always gratefully received. Thinks like toys for small kids, writing/drawing stuff and batteries. AA, AAA and even common old torch cells are always in huge demand to keep the things that bring enjoyment to their owners, running. They cost peanuts and reap huge benefits.

We were in Bora Bora some years ago when we gave toys to the kids of the owner of the local club/restaurant. Even though we expected nothing in return, we were rewarded with a week on a mooring, use of the showers in an unoccupied buret and a tank-full of fresh rainwater on our departure, all for free. For maybe $20 of stuff. Comment from the owner/father? “Never mind, we’ll get the money from the next rich American who comes by” (his comment, not mine).

More importantly, he kept an eye on our boat whenever we weren’t there.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by CassidyNZ

While this anti-hijack story is funny, it is really just another urban myth. Someone fitted one up as a joke but honestly, the one that appeared in the press and on social media was probably the only one ever built and AFAIK, was never used in anger.

More importantly, he kept an eye on our boat whenever we weren’t there.

I'm glad to hear that!

[Sailing4Jesus]

What about a big sign that reads

STAND CHEAR BLACK PLAUGE ABOARD

However, most pirates cannot read.