Piracy and Theft Today During Covid-19 While Cruising in The Caribbean | Sailing Balachandra E095 

Love your thumbnails; very catchy! 😄 Renee

Piracy is one of the biggest things I worry about, sailing alone.

It can happen anywhere. For me it was the USVI in 2002. Terrifying...a “I shouldn’t be alive” story. Keep a watchful eye on the locals. Cruisers be safe out there.

Very interesting thanks for that info 👍🏻

Great vid😃👍🏻

Love your videos.

Just came across your channel! Hello fellow Canadians!

Being Close to Venezuela is a problem. Most of the pirates range up to 100 miles which puts Grenada and the Southern Grenadines in range. For a while they raided Chatham Bay on Union Island. A mayday will not help because of the high hills surrounding the bay. They installed a cell tower and now you can call 911. It still takes the police abou 4o minutes to arrive so they time it to get out before they arrive. Lifting you dinghy every night is not just a precaution, but also helps to keep it clean. The most sought after engine is the Yamaha Enduro 15hp two stroke. Theft by fellow cruisers is also a problem. Unlike 40 - 50 years ago, we have to keep things locked up.

Thanks for the information

You're so right.

Now that looked like a fun night of drinking. I mean cra z y cra cra

Lol. Some fishing net buoys have AIS beacons... Paranoid. Some Fishermen are getting desperate to sell fish on some islands without tourists, going up to sailing vessels waving barracudas just to get shot at and have their attackers come to shore talking about their brave fight with AK weilding pirates.... Lol

Other cruisers?! This needs a while episode of its own. Thanks for this.

Hello New Subscriber from San Diego / Baja, Mexico...Former Law Enforcement Officer, Day Sailor and fisherman...Love the Episode on the Pirate attack...Very Good information and I would also Strongly Advise against carrying Firearms... Unless you can do so Legally in every Jurisdiction, which is highly unlikely and more likely to land you in Big Trouble with the Local Law...and Unless you are Trained and Prepared to use them... the majority of time your own weapon will be taken away and used against yourself...Obviously the best Defense against Would be Pirates is to Be Prepared and have a Plan...try to prevent them from getting on the boat in the first place...with Alarms, Sirens, bright Spot Lights, a loud PA system telling them to ''stay away the authorities have been notified''... ''you are being Recorded and Broadcasted on the Internet''...Have your own Display of Force such as Flairs, Fireworks and other Alternative Weapons ready to use that may be on board the boat including but not limited to; Flare guns, Spear guns, Hawaiian sling, shark bang sticks, fishing knives, sledge hammer...Tools such as a propane torch or Flame Thrower, nail gun (not that a cruising boat would normally carry a nail gun but if you had one charged and ready for Defensive Purposes, maybe you could convince Port Authorities that it was for work purposes and they would not confiscate it), same with a chainsaw, compressed air Tank with some kind of Projectile ready to fire...and in an Extreme Life or Death Emergency situation a Gasoline Bomb...(Molotov cocktail) is a breakable glass bottle containing a flammable substance such as gasoline/petrol or a napalm-like mixture, with some motor oil added, and usually a source of ignition such as a burning cloth wick held in place by the bottle's stopper. The wick is usually soaked in alcohol or kerosene, rather than gasoline. In action, the wick is lit and the bottle hurled at a target such as the Pirate's boat. When the bottle smashes on impact, the ensuing cloud of petrol droplets and vapour ignites, causing an immediate fireball followed by a raging fire as the remainder of the fuel is consumed. A poor man's grenade if you will could be assembled from household products...MacGyver style...Good Luck, (Disclaimer as I would not Recommend this or any kind of physical resistance against armed Pirates)..Almost forgot my High Tech Security Deterrent. The Drone !!! Fly a drone over the potential Pirates recording their every movement and their Faces with the Idea that they are Identified and the Whole World is Watching Them...again Be Prepared and Mentally Tough to do whatever it takes to Survive...Good Luck

We were robbed at Foxys in the BVI last March. They say it never happens there, thats all bull! . I believe it happens every few weeks and they just don't report .The police ( or what they call police) were absolutely no help.

Usually in poor or under developed countries like in Africa or Sout East Asia piracy is common. In remote areas your facing not just pirate but wild animals that might pop up from no where. Just be careful!

those two targets on ais that you couldn't see are probably fishing buoy markers that use ais as a signal. I'm a commercial fisherman and I use about 20 of them. I use the ones that are specific for our use where I can send a signal to them to transmit to my vessel only or to other vessels so they can see them. they are regulated in the states and the receiver system is expensive. The problem is that you can buy the chinese model ais fishing bouys online cheap and they just put out a signal and don't comply with American fcc laws but they work just the same. Everyone was using them about 5 yrs ago but the cargo ships and tankers were losing their minds when they would come up on the bank such as approaches to new york and there was ten longline tuna boats string out 20 miles of gear with 15 ais bouys on each string! that's alot of targets! they were regulated and we face 20,000 dollar fines if we use them without a receiver to transmit only to our vessel. If you see ais targets near a known commerial fishing vessel and you can't see the targets, it's probably an uregulated ais bouy. They put out an accurate position but the speed is not real as i've had some of mine say they were doing 12 knots all the time. The chinese made ais puts the battery level in there to and you'll see something in the info that says 12.1v or 11.8v etc and that's to let the fisherman known when he gets his bouy back that he should charge it. they put out a signal sometimes as far as 10 miles in the right conditions. they have become super duper popular with fisherman because instead of a 1200 dollar radio beacon thrown over the side you can have a 50 dollar ais bouy that you can see on a plotter. they are not regulated outside of the states but don't quote me on that because i use a british made receiver so maybe in the UK the shipping got fed up too.

This is why I don’t understand the stigma of a firearm on a boat, or in general. It’s like people want to be victims. It is very bizarre to me. People lose their nerve when they realize they don’t have the upper hand.

Interesting post. I’m surprised of the piracy north of Grenada. Do the windward islands have military making passing close to them safer... or does that mean you have to check in even if you’re passing through their territorial waters?

Great video and perfect timing. My wife and I struck up this exact topic in conversation last night. Running dark must be stressful. I like the advice to just keep moving as fast as possible and don't stop. One question that I have is why sailors don't reach for the VHF the instant they feel that they are being attacked. In my mind, I think it is because sailors are hopeful and constantly making decisions about boat movement and actions to determine whether it is a threat or not. There must be a tipping point where the intentions of an approaching boat are very clear, and then you can reach for the flares, VHF and EPIRB. Since it hasn't happened to me, I would love to hear from other sailors on the topic.

What happened to the sailboat that was following you, with their lights lit up (that you mentioned early on in the video). Didnt you speak with them on the radio.?

Very useful advice. Especially regarding using flares to scare off possible hijackers. Instead of the little hand held flares, I'd get the bigger versions that are fired using a flare gun. Firing anything between two boats is highly problematic, but you stand a better chance of hitting what you're aiming at, using a flare gun. The effective range would be less than 100 meters, I'd guess. Though I'm not an expert with flare guns. I have been to the Dominican Republic and its a place that I'd stay well clear of. The general population are very poor and view anybody from an advanced industrial country as a magic money tree. Not everyone. But the majority.

I replied a year ago... And now I'm here in Grenada 😎 Heading for Trinidad soon for some refit and to hide from hurricane season. Where are you now? Fellow Cannuck here aboard the 34ft steel schooner Blue Dragon

If I have to leave a dingy in the water, I tie a long non-floating line tied to my boat away from the dingy with the other end ied to the side or back of the dingy. Hopefuly, the sudden stop when the thieves run out of slack in my long line will give me time to react.

wow this is scary

This is the most informative thing I've seen on this subject. Thank you.

Unless you're sailing an 18 foot skiff and full tilt you ain't outrunning any boat with a decent outboard

Never heard of pirates transmitting AIS - why would they do that? Most likely this was just fishing boats - but the line between pirates and fishing boats can get blurred in Venuzuela..

I have sailed for nearly 5 years in the Caribbean (visited Venezuela for 3 months), and through the Mallaca Straits (Malaysia-Singapore-Thailand) and through the Red Sea and am now in Turkey. In my opinion, running "dark" is very dangerous and the risk of collision with another boat is much higher than encountering pirates. I disagree with your suggestion of triggering an EPIRB if you suspect pirates. An EPIRB may bring help 4-5 days away, not an hour away. Immediate actions should include: make best speed possible, shine a very bright light on the suspects, blow your horn, use your loudhailer, call MayDay on VHF16 (helps a lot if your radio has your MMSI number and is configured to your GPS) and fire flares (initially overhead, but then at the vessel). We have never come across pirates, but, there have been many confusing situations, particularly with fishermen and always at night. Keep your radar and AIS on.

Cross bow. Wanna get fancy? Load a bolt with a small hand held flare. Make sure your cross bow can be fitted with a fishing reel.. many countries count them as "primitive weapons" and pay no attention. I'm Canadian living in the Philippines.. strictly not allowed weapons. Customs and police didn't even blink at the cross bow I brought in thru the airport in my luggage.

I guess fear of pirates is good of an excuse as any to avoid a ticket for not having your nav lights on.

Flares to pirates are a very dangerous thing.....just think what armor piercing incendiary rounds will do to their bowels.(ie massive release) yeah yeah yeah ....I know massive over response....it's still fun to dream.

cannons... my boat will have cannons :P

where are the best places to find the piracy reports...do you have on line links to them?

If you're boarded use Ortho warp and hornet spray aka "home defense"(google it). To avoid getting it in your own eyes, only use it outside the cabin. It's Made to use at a distance(for hornets and wasps). Cheap, effective and readily available (at least in the US).

One thought I would keep a nail gun they can be used for more than emergency conditions nice show new viewer here ahoymatey

Its good to be aware of the threat of piracy and theft. Thank you for highlighting the issue. I'm sure you were unsettled during the night passage you described, but I cannot fathom why anyone intent on piracy would broadcast their AIS data. Its the vessels you don't see that are the most likely threat.

Question? would a crossbow or crossbows be considered a fire arm?

At 4:50 you mentioned it was a false alarm, but you didn’t say what it was.. so, what were the 2 objects that were closing in on y’all ???

The question exists whether it is better to defend one self or submit. Submitting could shorten one's life. It is a problem that I have considered with the conclusion that submitting is not a good idea. What do you think about a cannon type device that can hurl empty soup cans with a zip loc bag of gasoline inside about a 1000 ft or so? It would be far superior to flares. With the bag exiting the soup can and then gasoline splashing on impact, the pirates would be at risk in operating their engine, using fire arms, or having their electrical system on. The cannon would actually look like a support device for deep-sea fishing rods for immigration purposes. It would be quite safe in that it would use a scuba tank for pressure. I do have a design concept.

You said St Lucia a lot in this video. Noted.

Being this is a salt water environment.. would definitely run a chrome plated bolt carrier group in my AR. And fly an American flag.

This why you always carry guns on board. Keep them well hidden and never declare them. A Shotgun, a good rifle and at least one hand gun. Better to argue with a judge that with neptune. Remember, laws are never designed to protect you. They are designed to protect the governments enacting them.. Yes keep moving but just one or two rounds in their direction and they will break off..The best defense is an absolutely "rabid" offense.. Always take a knife to a fist fight and always take a gun to a knife fight. You only have one life. NEVER negotiate with individuals or governments for it, NEVER.

The haircut was a felony...

I don’t get why a pirate would have and turn on AIS.

You wanna avoid sailing without firearms. Although, the powers that be are educating the idiots to fear firearms in their own possession.....more than in the hands of pirates. Hence the word idiot.

just joined... in support of Canadians

And flares lol

If you have fuel on board. You have a deterent and a weapon. Gas & diesel can be spread on the water & ignited. Spearguns, crossbows, hunting slingshots (can put a ball bearing right through plywood) and also pepper ball guns & tazers. There are also scope equipped very very high powered 22 cal. air rifles that emit no muzzle flash. I prefer to fight than the Bubbles approach.

I have a rifle hidden on my boat the protect myself from them animals!

I have hidden fun lockers on my cat. I don't worry about pirates, because I know. I can access my funs to deter threats from these scumbag "pirates". Do the same spend the time and money to secure your family and valuables. It's Fun and a great hobby. That you will hopefully never have to use. And Running dark is a great idea. That's why you should have several advanced night vision.optics in your equipment. 👍🏼

I'm not a big gun guy but I ended up getting a Mossberg 500 Mariner for my Tayana 37.

great episode guys , very good info

You went from Canada to Granada. They should rhyme. Why DON'T they? WHY?

It was NOT a "false alarm".

Best advice I can give. Don't go! Why spend hard earned dollars in these areas? Make these places earn it.

Going DARK is a good idea definitely. Just have good working radar. And keep being DARK..... Very dark

How much money do you need to do this? What kind of boat?

Why wouldn't you get night vision goggles? There was a case where an older couple was murdered for their yacht . The yacht was repainted but sharp eyed friends spotted it at a marina and the suspects arrested.

SV Quest

So, how many people have actually been killed or disappeared via piracy in the Caribbean ?

So do you think it was floating drugs you went past in the night? You said it was a false alarm, yet you went past them and saw nothing?

No way in the world I would not have my boat armed to the teeth.

im putting cannons on my boat. shitebeard wont be catchin me today yarharrr

lift it and lock it. that is the rule for dinghies.

Just realized you're Canucks. Under what circumstances is an axe required aboard? Must be for boats longer than 8m

Anyone who voyages with a dog should not be heeded

I have some thoughts and advice. First off on firearms. Yes they are the best defense but legalities and customs make them a pain to have around. I'm not suggesting firearms to anyone that is not proficient or an enthusiast/prepper. You must be tactically prepared if you carry. If you are not tactically trained, then its not a good idea. Folks tactically trained and willing to carry some form of firearm will not be telling you on these comments anyway, they have already decided. So what else can you do? Two scenarios assuming the pursuit boat does not have firearms pointing at you: 1. While running on the water. a. The advice to run dark and fast is key. Never stop and dont fall for a fast boat of fishermen asking for trade or supplies. Thats a tactic they use to get you to pull over. b. If you are being pursued and they refuse to back off assume they are intent on boarding you, dont make it easy. c. Have two coils of 300 foot floating poly line ready to deploy attached to rear cleats. Float them long behind you. If the persuit boat come close to your boat, the start to zig zag in front of them. This will catch the floating lines in their props and foul them rendering the pursuit boat lamed. Be ready to cut the lines if they catch. d. Call for mayday on 16 and have a second radio to respond as if a buddy boat is on the way. Talk it up and make like the buddy boat has firearms ready to intercept. This may scare them if they hear it. e. Flares are useless unless you ignite something. So make several molotov cocktails of regular gas from old wine bottles with corks. Wax the corks in so the fumes stay inside. Tie an oil soaked rag on top. Light it and toss at the boat if in range to smack it. It doesn matter where, the splash will instantly ignite and cause panic. Omit the rag until needed if you fear the cocktail will be a problem with customs boarding. It will look like any old bottle of wine. Use darker bottles. f. The sling shot is a good idea, but use a pro version and steel ball bearings. The steel can penetrate glass and wood and will hurt a lot if on target. g. Have machetes, a few of them. If running on the water you have the advantage of your boat they have the disadvantage of trying to jump on it. h. Bows and arrows. Have a bow setup to look like a fishing bow so customs doesnt gripe about it if they board. Plus hey you can fish with it. i. Tape up a long knife to the end of your anchor chain pole and use it as a spear if they try to board. j. Spear guns, anything from a real spear gun to just a hawaiian sling will work. Buy extra bolts. Only use it when at very close range. k. Aluminum bats. Always a handy tool for things. l. Turn your zig zag pattern towards open ocean. The smaller boats have limited fuel. m. Roadside flares. These stay lite for a long time even under water or wet. Use the sling shot to launch them or use a simple pipe and sling shot rubber attached at the end to make a makeshift launch tube. The roadside flare again must land on boat and ignite something, have more molotov cocktails handy. n. In a pinch you can also use a simple pipe with the diameter of a shotgun shell. Insert the shotshell in one end and use hammer to deploy it. Technically not a firearm and can be easy discharged after use. You have the same legal issues with shells though. 2. While at anchor This one is a problem since anyone can sneak up on you by just swimming. Most boardings will happen after midnight and before dawn. a. Have a motion activated alarm and set it to be loud and turn on all the lights. A dog works wonders here but a pain to travel and check in with. b. Always have a radar set with a perimeter alarm. May not pick up small canoes though. c. Sleep with weapons of some sort at the ready. Always. d. Lock up everything at night. If they get into the cabin you have a problem. e. Deploy the crazy factor. Acting like a complete nutjob with a machete will confuse your uninvited guests. f. Chain lock the dingy to a davit. You'll have more time to react as they make more noise to steal it. g. Have a halon fire extinguisher and deploy it to the face at close quarters. It will such the air from their lungs and freak them out. 3. While on shore a. Have another cruiser watch your boat if you have friends. b. Assume your boat is always being watched to see if you are leaving it. c. Anchor farther away from shore to make it a less desirable target. d. Get that motion activated alarm system. e. Stow any loose items inside and lock up everything. f. Never put your boat name on the dingy. Its a sure way to notify people on shore your not on your boat. g. Alter your pattern of going ashore and always come back before dark. h. Stay at secure marina with guards and make friends with the guards, offering them a tip to watch your boat when you do shore excursions. i. Leave a big dog on board. 4. If you are approached by armed men, just play along. You probably will not have a way to match their firepower before being shot up. Pull the epirb and radio a mayday. You can make it a fast encounter when they board by telling them you have radioed and phoned for police/coast guard and the eprib has notified the military and will be there shortly. Comply but remind them they will be caught. May make a difference in what is stolen and can possibly save your life. Me? If boarded, I'm going down fighting and its going to cost them something. Its in my blood to do so. Everyone else will need to make up their own minds. Safe travels

"we have no weapons on board" me either *wink* *wink*

False alarm? What the hell does that mean? What was it?

Night vision is cheap and handy for these situations. High powered integrated suppressed air guns are also an option for defense and not regulated buy firearm laws plus no muzzle flash.

You were showing on their ais

Are there many cases of murder by pirates or is it a case that you are just robbed.

Nothing happened ! and it's Venezuela one the most dangerous coasts in the carrebean sea. Also I have read plenty of sailors have shot innocent fishermen because they were so scared. Likely if they are out that far and robbing they will out gun you anyhow.

After watching this episode, I was shocked how dangerous it is to sail around the world! Sailors raising a big dog on the sailing boat, such as a kanga or a German shepherd, will it help reduce potential criminal desire?

Arrrre

Great info on da pirates. I think a flare gun holstered at the helm along with a sharp knife (at the helm) is a good form of defense. Obviously we can't discuss what other means could be onboard. It's a challenge to obey the laws on firearms and also be protected in those unfriendly waters. Tons of flares is a great idea and launching one towards a pirate full of gerry gas cans would be a spectacular way to get away. Here's hoping you NEVA have to do that. Stay safe out there!

I always thought the pirates of the Caribbean was a ride at Disney Land.

Wow, interesting and scary video guys. Is there a reason why you guys don't have weapons for protection?

Have some sharks with freakin' laser beams on their heads!

pirates would never transmit their AIS data. or am I misunderstand ? can your AIS transmit ? anyway, the title works -)

us special forces can easily eliminate all piracy.

I would have more than a few guns on board. People that can't defend themselves deserve what they get.

Venezuelen waters ? You were a hundred miles away from venezuela. What BS , and those mystery boat , grenadian long liners

There surely can't be non annotated icons on an AIS screen .!

You should have gone to Ali express and buy Microwave Gun , it does the job and looks like radar .

Why I legally carry

Just a couple of thoughts Does’nt make much sense for a pirate boat to be actively sending out AIS. I mean if you were a pirate would you report your position to other boats? Did you call the other boat on the radio to make them aware of the situation? Plus even if you turn off the all the lights but keep sailing full sails and carry a radar reflector you are still pretty much visible to any small boat carrying radar... Bottom line is the best bet is to just stay out of dodgy waters. Guns are def. not the answer Keep safe

Canons will probably help... IT is Not so bad than eastern africa guys

The best thing is an automatic weapon second best is a hilti gun remove the plastic plug and replace with a nasty pellet or other, when you are boarded explain they're used for maintenance purposes

Sounds like you ran over a fisherman's net 🤔

you said you were sailing from St Croix to Grenada and you said you were sailing close to Venezuela and worried about pirates. Venezuela is 80 miles past Grenada. Did you sail off course? If you didn't, then you would not even be close and thus have no worries. Is this just drama for ratings?

Watergun with flammable liquid + flare gun

Ok, there is no "NATO branch" of the military. So this is a friend of a friend?

Now all, of the pirates, wear masks?

And a jamo dog lol ive enevernbeen robbed in Riviera beach

Do they make a semi auto flair gun with a 30 round clip? Lol

Why wouldn’t you carry any weapons? That just makes you easy prey.

Ak 47

The one vessel showed up as a fishing vessel? If it didn't show up as a pirate ship then you're okay!