Security while at anchor

[Freespool]

My wife and I are currently cruising in the Bahamas, the Exumas to be exact. The boat is a 62’ Offshore powerboat. Last night we anchored and my wife left the back sliding doors open as well as both pilot house doors. She pulled the screen doors shut to keep any bugs out. This also minimizes the need to run the air conditioners in the pilot house and salon. I like to give them a break.

As always I turn on the underwater lights, the arch lights and of course the anchor light. I worry about getting hit by one of the guys racing around in a skiff. I feel being lit up may catch someone’s attention more than just a single white anchor light.

As I lay in bed (master stateroom is located midship below decks) I began pondering the thought of leaving all of the doors open and visible to anyone who wanted to board the boat and be up to no good whilst we were sleeping.

While I favor secluded anchorages I do sleep a little better knowing there are other boats around. Creating a commotion in the event of an intruder would be more likely to scare someone away in the middle of a crowded when compared to a secluded one.

I realize there is no easy answer to both of the items I have presented. I wanted to open the topic to hear your experiences and thoughts.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. F. NO experience with the scenarios you're presenting but have you ever considered a dog? Needn't be particularly large, just noisy.

 

[Freespool]

I love the idea of a dog. My Chihuahua is too old and cranky to turn into a boat dog and my Cocapoo still isn’t completely house broken at 6years old. Also, she isn’t the most savvy animal. I would worry about her on a boat. We say she is a lover, not a thinker. Also, we live in California and the boat is currently in the Bahamas. The logistics of flying with dogs can be a challenge. Lastly, as empty nesters we don’t want to be tied down by adding another dog to the zoo.

But you’re right, a dog would be the perfect solution!

 

[Seevee]

How about a motion sensitive warning that sounds like a dog? .... or lights, or both?

What's available out there? I think of the same issues sometime, but aren't as secluded as Freespool.

 

[Larry M]

We had (tried) motion activated lights and had too many false positives. We couldn’t narrow the beam enough and still be effective. Water or birds would trip the sensor.

We’ve met a few cruisers that have a panic button next to the bed tied to a siren. It would wake the dead and everyone else in the anchorage.

 

[hmason]

Call me a sissy but I lock my boat doors at night even here at our marina in FL. I will leave windows and hatches (all with screens) opened if I'm not running AC. If someone wants to enter through a screened window or hatch our Chihuahua will hear it and go into Rottweiler mode. I do the same anchored out. The sound of the barking and the inimitable sound of racking a shotgun will drive most intruders away (I hope).

 

[GFC]

"and the inimitable sound of racking a shotgun will drive most intruders away (I hope)."


That sentence scared me and I'm all the way across the country.

 

[Comodave]

Our black Lab, Radar, has excellent hearing even when alseep, he can be upstairs sleeping in our bed and all I have to do is pick up a bag of chips and he is downstairs in 2 seconds. So as long as the intruders sound like a bag of chips, he will notify us immediately.

 

[MrJim]

Didn't Joshua Slocum sprinkle tacks on the deck of his boat? If I remember correctly that trick worked very well for him!

(I know, no help... )

 

[Comodave]

As long as the intruders come aboard barefooted.

 

[Flybull]

Is there a pressure activated "door mat" type product that could be tied to a siren/lights, etc...?

Place one at each entry point. Something requiring 30 or 40+ pounds to activate...?

Something like this...?

https://www.amazon.com/Ideal-Security-Pressure-Pleasant-Triggered/dp/B00GUNX7WY

 

[Cigatoo]

Our black Lab, Radar, has excellent hearing even when alseep, he can be upstairs sleeping in our bed and all I have to do is pick up a bag of chips and he is downstairs in 2 seconds. So as long as the intruders sound like a bag of chips, he will notify us immediately.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. F. Set up an electric cattle fence along your railings...

 

[Cigatoo]

Greetings,
Mr. F. Set up an electric cattle fence along your railings...

Forget about peeing over the side.

 

[menzies]

Never a concern for me.

My wife snores like a large dog barking!

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. m. "My wife snores like a large dog barking!" Ooohhh, that's nasty!

 

[Moonstruck]

Our black Lab, Radar, has excellent hearing even when alseep, he can be upstairs sleeping in our bed and all I have to do is pick up a bag of chips and he is downstairs in 2 seconds. So as long as the intruders sound like a bag of chips, he will notify us immediately.

Here's an easy solution. Put a bag of chips under the door mats.

 

[Freespool]

Seevee,

That’s an interesting concept a device that sounds like a dog. No feeding, no travel hassles and no potty a accidents.

 

[hmason]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Electron...MIovrpgoiP4QIVh0GGCh1mQQ4REAQYAiABEgInm_D_BwE

 

[Tom.B]

Before we go cruising, I plan to add a beam breaking type unit across the swim platform. They make boat specific versions. I also am going to put a wildlife camera inside the main salon aimed at the door so it goes off before someone gets in. Lucky for us, unless someone comes in the v-berhnhatch, there is really only one way in and out and that is through the cockpit door.

 

[Lepke]

You can make a do-it-yourself alarm system by adding micro switches to your screen and other doors. Put lights on your motion sensors on deck. That's usually enough to scare opportunists off. It also keeps birds off. They don't like to roost where it's suddenly lighted. It seems to keep sea lions off the swim platform, too. I'm a vet and have a couple trip wires where my dog can't set them off, wired to blank 12ga shells.

I've spent hundreds of nights on the hook. As a commercial fisherman and retired 15 years. Mostly in remote anchorages with few if any other boats. Now mainly solo and I only burn an anchor light. In the summer I wander from one spot to another, spending a few days to weeks. In all that time I've had a few animals and a couple men. I'd bet they're in a new line of work now.

 

[diver dave]

that's the dichotomy of cruising in Exumas and related places. You want privacy, but you want security.
My security buddy calls home doors, 10 second doors. From most rec boats I see, they might be "5 second doors". That's when locked.

If two even semi-coherent able bodies want the big boat, it will be theirs. Few of us can post sentries on board or have reliable automation that will keep a vacation relaxing. My advice is to take a pill and play the entirely favorable odds.

 

[caltexflanc]

In hundreds of nights at anchor in both populated and very unpopulated places, that fear never occurred to us. Only you can counter your personal degree of paranoia with the proper personalized antidote.

 

[Simi 60]

Is it really that much of a problem in the land of the free and the home of the brave? (-;

Seems a bit extreme to be locking yourself in with laser beams, panic buttons, tacks on the deck, electric fences and shotguns at the ready.
I thought the whole idea of getting away was to leave your worries behind, not add to them.

 

[O C Diver]

I cruise 90+% of the time solo. As such, most all of my nights away from the dock are by myself. I don't leave exterior doors open or unlocked at night. It's pretty simple to have something that makes a lot of noise (mechanical) when the door opens. Ditto the stateroom door. Although the racking of the shotgun will probably discourage them from opening that door. Don't want a shotgun onboard, a shot from 20 pound CO2 fire extinguisher will bring an intruder to his knees.

Ted

 

[Tom.B]

TBH, we aren’t worried about being in the Bahamas, it’s America (specifically FL) I am most concerned with.

 

[Freespool]

For those who suggest paranoia, I see it differently. I spent 30 years as a fireman working in some really bad areas. I have seen things that you could only imagine. I spent my career planning for the worst and dealing with much of it.

While thankfully you may not have had any issues, there are plenty of people who have. Sitting on the anchor in the Exumas now and everyone pulls their inflatable out of the water at night because they get stolen on a regular basis. Using a cable and a padlock isn’t good enough because they use bolt cutters.

Nassau (just spent a week there) was just listed by the state department as being very dangerous to Tourists. I am far from being paranoid. I look at as being streetwise, or maybe boat wise.

 

[diver dave]

Yes, Nassau gets a high crime rate since the resident population is fairly small, and there are tons of drunken idiots who visit and get into trouble. And, there is a gun problem in Nassau. Exuma, although "close", is not even related to the capital crime issue.

My uncle was on the first paramedic team in Miami, in the early '70's. He was full of these stories. Waiting for cops to show up before they could put hoses on a house fire. AND, the cops didn't really want to show up.

 

[BandB]

For us, it's locked doors at night. At least they slow anyone down and lead to noise. More importantly though is security cameras and lights. If you pull up to the side (or front or back) of our boat, the lights will shine and alarms will go off. You board and definitely will set it all off. We've never had problems with false positives. Much of it is sensitivity and anti-dither and other settings. Birds were mentioned earlier. On a properly set up system, a bird flying through won't be in the field long enough to set it off and a bird sitting won't be large enough.

There are also anchorages in certain areas, I just wouldn't consider for overnight. Check noonsite and the Caribbean Security in these areas.

All that said, I still lack comfort in anchoring with no one on watch in some areas and just can't sleep well doing it.

 

[guy with a boat]

I lock my doors at home and I live in a gated neighborhood in a nice area.

Likewise, I almost always lock the boat doors at night. The exception would be if I have a full boat (guys trip, maybe) and a warm night. If its my wife and I or 2 couples, we lock the doors before going to sleep. We have recessed lighting around the perimeter walkways that will hopefully encourage the bad guys to go somewhere darker and not bother us. I leave windows open on warm nights if I don’t run the air, but I turn on the air if I can’t keep cool without the doors open while I sleep.

We cruised the exumas over the past 3 months and I didn’t see or hear of any crimes. I think the numbers of boats in most anchorages there make the bad guys think twice about working there. That being said, there have been enough tenders and engines stolen there that I pulled our tender from the water most nights.

Without a doubt, Nassau is a different animal and crime is a significant problem. The Exumas are much less so, but not crime free. I find it easy to lock up and make myself a less attractive target so that’s what we do. Locks, lighting and dogs make it unlikely that the bad guy chooses you. Any combination of those deterrents helps.