Just before the Haha, I attended a seminar on cruising in Mexico. The topic of pirates came up and the folks putting on the seminar said piracy was very rare in Mexico. However, the conversation continued and the subject of guns was discussed briefly. Everyone agreed that this was not they way to go as there are so many problems with checking in and out of countries and declaring that you have a gun. Alternatives where discussed and this is where it got interesting. The lecturer brought up an idea I had never heard of. He said the best non lethal defense was wasp spray. What? Yes, wasp spray. The cans are highly pressurized and can shoot 20 -30 feet in a long precise spray. Legal, non lethal and very disabling when you get someone in the face. Hopefully, you will never need to use this tactic, but I wanted to share this idea and see if there are any other thoughts from other cruisers. Send me a note!
Probably in the real world the big problem in many ports and anchorages is dinghy theft -- some thieves are even so bold as to cut away a dinghy that's been hoisted out of the water. And some countries and port authorities are charging so much for so little value that their extortions are not far from legalized piracy. In these cases, wasp spray is likely not recommended.
ReplyDeleteHI Pat,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. Any recommendations?
Maybe in some places hoisting and locking a dinghy isn't enough; maybe alarms and a camera would help? And maybe getting good information would help cruisers "vote with their sails" to avoid places where crime is too much of a problem and perhaps the authorities and community are indifferent.
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