<Patrick wrote: I would love to hear more about "Rex"...He sounds like the
perfect dog...Agreed with all you said about SUV/Ding.>

In one our pervious life's as wind powered cruisers we noticed that folks
with dogs seldom reported been robbed or boarded. Living in the Caribbean
for a couple of decades we also noticed that this was the case for dirt
based dwellers. A big dog equals a level of increased security.

It also brings with it a level of responsibility that doesn't fit well with
our lifestyle so we never got the "dog".

"Rex" is the dog's bark without the responsibility and perhaps companionship
that the rest of the dog might bring.

Sold as Rex or Rex plus just about in ever K-Mart, Walmart and E-bay. About
$70 and certainly has fooled all the other dogs on land and in the anchorage
when it "barks" as well as the somewhat aggressive boat "helpers" that one
runs into in the Islands......"keep the dog away from me, mon" is the usual
call if we have him on and they come by.

We also have a nice chain leash that we hang on the saloon door when we are
either in or away....sort of reinforcement as to what's making the noise.

Rex has his own adjustable sensor which takes a bit to get set so that he is
only barking if there is something in a 20' for so range. He works thru the
walls and also thru the enclosure in our cockpit. We have two so one is
looking down the side deck from the bow at our tender which is along side
and the other is facing aft in the cockpit.

Simple to turn on at night or anytime we leave the boat. They bark when we
leave and bark when we arrive back. We shut them off when we are about and
on when we wish or feel we need the extra security. We also have 360 degree
lights which are on all night if we fell we are in a marginal area.

Some might think that this all would "disturb the peace and tranquility for
others". Quite the contrary as we find others anchoring closer to us than
away from us. When asked they like the feeling of security we seem to give
them. In fact we wish we weren't such a magnet as we like our privacy. So we
go to some places that even the locals don't want to go......Rex and the
lights seem to work for us.

OTOH, there are some professional banditos somewhere that will go thru
anything so nothing is 100%. Two nights ago they clipped a 12' Caribe dinghy
with a 15 hp and another 15 hp motor from a boat 200 yards to one side and
the other was 300 yards in front of us. Both of these were locked/cabled but
other wise they had no security, lights or "Rex".

As we've said security is an increasing issue everywhere. Shooting a perp is
going to cause you more trouble than you can imagine. Even a good swipe with
the old machete will bring trouble from the authorities unless the perp is
bleeding on the stateroom floor with his own machete! A bit of pepper spray
(illegal also) or a good jolt from an electric fence charger are other ways
some use to extend their protection.....but.....

Dogs are a universal deterrent and 99% of those intending harm will look for
other easier places to pirate if you have the "bark". However, if you're the
only place in town and they really need your "stuff" then it's a different
game.

As most boats now have DSC radios we would not hesitate to "push the red
button" if we have any type of intruder or feel threatened. This will
generally elicit responses from many nearby boaters and perhaps some
officials though not likely outside of the US. We ourselves respond to all
DSC calls when we get them.

Another newer "DSC" call can be made via the AIS transponders. One more
level of broadcasting a need for help that automatically has much more boat
information than the VHF DSC. It however won't have the range of a 25 watt
signal as it is limited to 10 watts max and even less with class B units.

We also have the air horns which are loud but not particularly useful. If
you are then only boat around and the banditos know this then whose to hear
a big ruckus??...Nope sound itself isn't a deterrent. Back to the bark which
= dog which = danger for the perps.

Several have spoken about the electric fence method and I've seen two on
boats so far. One actually has a wire on stand offs around his boat. Looks
like a nice lifeline to grab while boarding but.....a few hundred thousand
joule charge is what greets the boarder....hmmmmmm drops into the
water...death by drowning and floats away....no marks, no weapons, no
worries.
Unfortunately that would mean that we would have a lot less friends left to
visit us and in fact might leave Nancy alone on Swan Song as my "CRS" kicked
in and I "forgot" when returning to Swan Song.......better scrub this idea
;-)

Security is a serious issue while cruising in most areas of the world but
needs to be taken with a sense of humor. We refuse to live with bars on our
doors and windows, not go to places we want within reason and have a good
respect and awareness for the local and situation we may find ourselves in.

What we have seen is that what was OK last year may no be today. Our
experiences on the way up to the Virgin Islands vs. the way down over a 6
month span we see things change.

St Maarten has a rash of boat break-ins, the BVI a rash of dinghy thefts,
etc. Yet Portsmouth, Dominica has very good security now with a patrol boat
at night as does Rodney Bay, St Lucia. Porlamar, Venezuela was fine when we
were here in Feb and now a couple of tenders and a motor in 3 days have been
taken.

Comments?

As always YMMV.....

Dave & Nancy
Swan Song
Roughwater 58
Caribbean Cruise '07

Snip:
Several have spoken about the electric fence method and I've seen two on
boats so far. One actually has a wire on stand offs around his boat. Looks
like a nice lifeline to grab while boarding but.....a few hundred thousand
joule charge is what greets the boarder....hmmmmmm drops into the
water...death by drowning and floats away....no marks, no weapons, no
worries.

Reply:
The fence charger we use here in Vermont to keep coyotes away from our sheep
and goats has a normal charge of about 25 joules. I've been "bitten" by it
several times and, while it is an unpleasant and startling (shocking?)
experience that always makes me yelp in surprise and pain, you will note
that I am alive to write this. I do not think any fence charger issues a
fatal jolt because the sheep and goats would be dead before they figured out
to stay away from the fence. Gallagher makes my charger and their Web site
(http://www.gallagherusa.com) gives a good explanation of how it works.

Learning a lot from all of you. Many thanks.

Bob Frenier
Chelsea, VT