Here's the follow up to the last blog "When Bad Things Happen". As normally happens after a really bad situation, or a spate of lesser ones, a conference (or meeting or discussion) happened here in Grenada. It was spearheaded by Mark and Tina, the couple who were boarded and attacked by an assailant with a machete, as a means to share info, and other things.

I will admit to not going to the meeting, but I am not going to get into the details here (that may be for another blog or not at all). Ken went, and got the information that was useful. This blog is about some of the things shared there, and what "defences" 'Silverheels III' has onboard, some having been adapted a bit after the meeting, and some to still be finished.

One of the biggest points that was made, and makes a lot of sense, is to have an easy way to turn on a bright cockpit light and deck or spreader lights. Tina poked her head out into a dark cockpit, so didn't have a chance to see her assailant. Turning lights on also lets anyone who has boarded your boat know that they may have been detected, and certainly won't have the cover of darkness to aid them in their robbery attempt. It also may illuminate them to someone on a neighbouring boat. As one boat put it "we heard a splash shortly after we turned on the lights". Sounds like a safe way to get rid of someone to me. We will be installing a switch farther up in the living area of our boat, as well as a switch by the bunk, to enable us to do this without having to get to the breaker panel (car horn relays make this easy without having to use lots of expensive marine cable).

In addition to the lights, we also have manual alarm system that turns on two school-type bells, the outside lights, and a car horn. If the lights didn't give them a hint, this should hopefully give them the idea that we know they are out there, as might anyone else anchored reasonably close by.

Before this incident, I found two battery powered alarms at the hardware store, one is a motion detector, and one is an alarm for the companionway slide. Motion detectors are not great, as hanging towels, pets, and sundry other thing can set them off; Ken's test had it go off about four times an hour in our normal conditions. We also have a way of locking ourselves in from the inside with a bar system and a lockable bolt on the slide.

If it really gets nasty, and we feel we need to fight, we have a couple of things on board to defend ourselves with. One is gel spray that can shoot about 30 feet (many people have bear spray or more nasty options). One must bear in mind that this may be considered a weapon in some countries We also have a hook knife, designed to cut lines off of props and underwater gear on a boat. The picture above gives you an idea of how lethal that thing could be, especially since almost every edge is sharp. The good thing about it is that it is not considered a "weapon", it is boat equipment.
http://www.sailorssolutions.com/?page=ProductDetails&Item=CH01
We have a few knives tucked into strategic places, as per Mark and Tina's experience; they had a knife ready in the galley, and that is how Mark successfully got the assailant off their boat. We have a machete onboard (I have used it for setting trails and hiking, so it is legitimate), tucked away, but accessible. Machetes are considered tools in the islands, not weapons.

When we are anchored, the extension microphone from our VHF radio is located next to our bed. If we need to yell for help, it is right there. It also has the red "Distress" button right on it, so we can use the DSC capabilities right then and there, and in most anchorages, we have the chartplotter on, so the lat and long comes right up on the other radios. We still think this is the best way to call for help, as even non-English speaking boats know what is going on, and where. Trying to rely on "shore-based" systems, in our opinion, may not be as effective, and trying to find the local emergency number may not be easy in a hurry (and the authorities in many of the islands don't have a way to effectively assist on the water).

As you may have noticed, we don't have much of a security system, besides locking the boat, for when we are away from the boat. Out attitude is that if they take our "stuff", yes, it is irritating, but it is replaceable. Our priority is protecting ourselves, as the consequences of an attack are far greater.
And for those who figure "I'll shoot them with a flare gun", you need to think again. This myth has been bandied about for a long time, but it is fed by Hollywood-type images. We tested that theory earlier this week. Ken and I took a pillow, backed with cardboard, and put a sweatshirt on it. This was propped up against some rocks on a beach, and well away from people (except fellow cruiser witnesses and spectators) and flammables. The first finding is that flare guns are not easy to aim well, but that is true of many pistols. The second big finding is that the flares just bounce off the target. While some will say "well, maybe the shirt will catch fire with contact with the burning chemicals", but the flares don't start flaring immediately, they are designed to flame on once they are a safe distance from your boat. So using a flare gun on your boat may set your boat on fire (the flare will bounce off, then flame on while it is sitting on your deck). Even hoping to shoot it into the bad guys' boat will probably just provoke them - you get one shot at a time, and ejecting the spent cartridge and inserting a new one is not that fast. If we ever get the video successfully edited, we will find a way to post it.

One cruiser said "you could put a 12 gauge shot gun shell in your flare gun", and I say that he is deluded, or has never fired a shot gun (I have). A plastic pistol casing is not designed for that kind of force. At best, you will break your thumb with the recoil, at worst the pistol will blow up in your hand. Gun proponents of course say have a gun onboard, but that gets into sticky legalities if you didn't admit to having it in the first place (and many places insist you give them up while in the country). That is also assuming that you can get to the gun in time, and that it doesn't get used against you.

Cruisers have to have a certain degree of self reliance for security in many areas, as the authorities either don't have the resources, or the desire, to act immediately. Realistically, too, they can't get to you as quickly on the water as may be possible with a shore based emergency. However, the boat anchored next to you might be able to render assistance.

Will our attempts at securing our boat and ourselves work in an emergency situation? We don't know, and we sincerely hope we never have to find out.