Common Objects to Defend Your Boat at Sea

[onavegador]

Why do you need to defend your boat at sea? I made two circumnavigations now 8 years since my return from the last onr. I never needed to defend my boat at sea. The only incident was in Madagaskar when a anchor in a harbour when 3 burglars came aboard at night. But preparing me to defend and showing them my big 1' meat cutting knive they left immediately. Unfortunately I woke up a little bit late so they were able to steal my spare Diesel and some mooring ropes and lines. And they tried to destroy my rib then leaving.
My impression was that this people hate us caucasians as we can travel there ever we want on the planet and they are locked to their 3rd world island or country.


Fair winds
James

[Franziska]

Must be perfect for an very thorough anchor inspection though!

Originally Posted by Montanan

Some boaters where swim suits, others wear suits of armor; personally I recommend that for nautical use that the suit be made of 316 stainless steel so as to mitigate against rusting.

A distinct advantage of this type of attire is that it does keep the sun off of you so no need to apply suntan lotion.

Albeit, I do find that wearing such makes taking in the spinnaker a bit challenging and the shoes tend to be a tad slippery on a wet deck.

[roland stockham]

In Canada I am used to carrying bear spray most of the time. Yes it is illegal to use it against a human but if attacked I would do so. Very effective and would work against more than one individual at the same time if they where in a group. Only works at close range but if boarded you are at close range. As far as I know it is not classed as a 'weapon' anywhere.

The other handy thing is one of the very bright tactical torches. They all have a fast flash mode and pointing that into someone face at night will disable them. That said I have never been in a situation where I was concerned for my safety or met anyone who has been so it is a the bottom of a long list somewhere between being struck by a meteorite and abducted by aliens.

[sailcrazy]

After 22 years in the military, and about 10 years sailing Asia(mostly The Philippines) and 4 years sailing the Medd, we elected to make ..."an anchor"...out of the firearms we had carried aboard. They are always a hassle when checking in/out. No matter what you might carry a pirate/thief is (1) likely going to have something bigger/more powerful,(2)is already an outlaw and likely prepared to die, and (3) already knows what he's up to from the start-you do not! And, as a non-local, you are absolutely guilty until proven innocent-good luck with that in the local courts! Bear Spray, pepper spray, mace, baseball balls, spearguns, etc,etc, etc, all work...and so does running if you can. And some places it's just simply not safe to go to-discretion is the better part of valor. Macho does not get it done. Even thumb tacks sprinkled on deck, along with lots of bright lights, can work. I'd never heard of towing a couple of dark lines....but I like it!

[mvmojo]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Do you have more information on this NYC bust?

Right of Safe Passage should have applied to the boat. You can drive through any state that prohibits firearms as long as you’re traveling fine one state where you can legally possess the firearm to another where you can legally possess it.

It’s a federal law.

The law you're referring to is USC Title 18, §926A. Interstate transportation of firearms. It states: "Notwithstanding any other provision of any law or any rule or regulation of a State or any political subdivision thereof, any person who is not otherwise prohibited by this chapter from transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm shall be entitled to transport a firearm for any lawful purpose from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm if, during such transportation the firearm is unloaded, and neither the firearm nor any ammunition being transported is readily accessible or is directly accessible from the passenger compartment of such transporting vehicle: Provided, That in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver's compartment the firearm or ammunition shall be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console."

The problem is that some states, like NJ and NY treat this as an "affirmative defense", a.k.a. a "tell it to the judge" defense. You argue, not to the cops or the arresting authorities - that would be too easy, but to a judge or magistrate that while yes, you did have a weapon, you were within you right to possess that weapon based on the federal statute. Essentially that means they will arrest you for violation of their state (or city) laws regarding firearms possession and then you must argue before a judge or magistrate that you should not be in jail because of United States Code, Title 18, Part I, Chapter 44, Section 926A. Your argument MAY be accepted and you may be released IF they can't find anything else to hold you on. But, you WILL very likely spend several days in jail waiting for your day in court and you WILL have to obtain an attorney and that may cost you several thousand dollars. And during that time, what's happening to your boat? Has it been seized, impounded, who's paying slip fees or storage costs, is it in a safe area or has it been ransacked and looted? All in all, it's not pretty and most if not all of us will argue that it's not right or fair, but none-the-less, that's the way it is until such time as Congress decides to change the law.

[taxwizz]

Give up. You are not allowed to defend yourself. The laws are on the side of the criminals. That keeps the lawyers in business.

[Cadence]

I wonder on having an M16? An AR15 probably.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Michael Cobbe

When we were in Caribbean a number of American boats carried rifles, they handed them over customs with no problems and picked them up when they left. I remember an American yacht off the Venezuelan coast was approached by a pirate boat he fired warning shots with an M16 and they turned away.

Really?

With one little M16?

Must have been some pretty wimpy pirates. (or maybe not pirates at all)

Had they been real pirates they probably would have used a real rifle starting with even a 30/06, gotten out of range of the M16, and started shooting the boat to pieces

One M16 is usually just going to piss off your average "real" pirate.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I wonder on having an M16? An AR15 probably.

30/06 effective firing range 1,000 yards

.308 effective firing range 800 - 1000 yards

M16 effective firing range 601 yards

AR15 effective firing range 600 yards

[zstine]

Some ideas not mentioned..
A good defense is to look like you don't have anything worth stealing.. It also makes cruising cheaper! We had a smaller, older boat and were often left alone when peddlers came around anchorages trying to sell their wares and thieves will have a similar mindset.
A dog is probably 1000 times better than a gun!

Another point is safety in numbers. If you are sailing through sketch waters, don't go alone. A buddy boat will make it much more difficult for thieves to attack. Running dark in bad areas at night hasn't been mentioned either. Without lights, a sailboat is hard to see at night and they can't attack what they can't see.

[rmlarson1098]

Originally Posted by zamber

Taking firearms from country to country is not a good idea due to the multitude of laws. One mistake and you are in jail. The best thing is to not sail off the coast of Somalia or the Nicaraguan/Honduras border. That said, common object on a boat might be helpful if you are in a situation where you might end up like the humans in the robot revolt in the new West World TV show.

You want to be in a situation where the government inspector says "Do you have weapons on board" and you respond "No Sir!" Then they find none.

Pirates are almost always corrupt fishermen looking for an easy target. Sometimes boats are attacked by pirates without firearms. If they get bombarded by flares and spears there is a good chance they will disappear.

One common item is a fishing tackle hat with a wide brim. Put on on tackle and a lead fishing sinker on the back. At the right moment grab the front brim and bop the pirate on the head.

Others include spear guns, flares, fishing bows, pipes, etc. Kitchen knives and baseball bats are obvious. Heck, the Coast Guard even requires flares! "Yes officer, got my flare right here!"

A repeating flare gun is easily made because it could be plastic and would not need to have precision. There are repeating spear guns on the web. Stock up on spears and flare ammo.

Watch out for local laws. There are some odd legal restriction on some normally legal items, be careful. There is a "Spear Guns Control Act 1971" in Australia for example.

Then there is body armor. I never heard of pirates wearing body armor. It might give you an edge.

The point is, if you have it you can make a decision to use it or not in a dangerous situation.

We carry (and have used) pepper spray. Try the twin packs from Costco, a good deal. These are fairly large containers, not little 'purse' sized novelties.
We've declared and carried our pepper spray into Canada a couple of times, by suggesting (truthfully) that we are hikers, and concerned about bears. Never been a problem
Flare guns, of course. Just try a couple out (in a safe, discrete place) to get a feel for their trajectory.
I have my baseball bat, and also carry my glove and a couple of baseballs. Just in case. Bats are a dime a dozen at 2nd hand stores.
We have a machete onboard, which like most cutting/striking objects you should (MUST) describe as a 'tool', not a weapon.
As sailors we both have knives, of course.
I've thought about picking up a tactical baton, like from ASP, and describing it as our fish-whacker. They can be very effective, but I haven't done so yet.
Some folks insist those big cans of wasp spray work against assailants. We don't believe it.
It's also said that a liter of 151 proof rum, with a tampon in the neck for a fuse, makes a good 'poor man's molotov cocktail. I guess I'd have to test that myself, and the 'testing' seems a waste of rum...
We are U.S. citizens, and my wife and I are both shooters. We have had extensive handgun training, and have concealed carry permits in the USA. We (sometimes) carry our handguns when in the States, always concealed.
A veteran, I'm pretty handy with rifles & shotguns as well.
That said, we've chosen not to carry firearms aboard the sailboat. I am somewhat uncomfortable with this choice, as we long ago decided that, depending on the circumstances, in most situations we would fight rather than be subdued, and left to the mercy of bad men.
To give a couple of gallons of water, and maybe a $20 bill to some desperate fisherman is one thing. To be boarded is quite another, and in a situation where that could happen we are KEENLY aware of what's happening, and have our 'tools' at hand.
To resist - again, depending on the situation and setting - is my wife's choice at least as much as mine. For reasons that I expect are obvious. You can tell us all you like about how it's 'just stuff', and that to cooperate is the best course of action. But we think not, and would prefer to die on our feet than live on our knees...
So. We've practiced with our self-defense 'tools', such as they are. We have a word (expletive) that means 'Move, NOW!'.
We practice our 'pirate' drills, just like we practice our MOB drills and fire drills.
Practice may not make perfect, but it's gonna help a lot.
Cheers.

[rmlarson1098]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I wonder on having an M16? An AR15 probably.

A shotgun, please. On the RARE occasions when cruising sailors successfully defend themselves against armed pirates, it's often because the pirates carry typically AK47 rifles, (at least in the Middle east) which in any kind of sea at all are wildly inaccurate. Shotguns with buckshot, at 10 meters or less.

[Woodland Hills]

How much dishwashing liquid should I put in my Molotov cocktails?

[Woodland Hills]

Originally Posted by thomm225

30/06 effective firing range 1,000 yards

.308 effective firing range 800 - 1000 yards

M16 effective firing range 601 yards

AR15 effective firing range 600 yards

Accurate range underway at sea for all of the above= under 50 ft.

[rmlarson1098]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

How much dishwashing liquid should I put in my Molotov cocktails?

Not sure. Just make sure it's biodegradable!