Trinidad-Grenada Passage Security Suggestions by Melodye Pompa In view of the recent robbery and assault of the crew of a yacht enroute from Trinidad to Grenada (see “Robbery of Yacht Between Trinidad and Grenada Spurs International Security Measures” by James Pascall in last month’s Compass), and the various reports of similar incidents in the same area and in Venezuelan waters over the past several years, there are some very specific precautions which cruisers can take to avoid or minimize attempts against them. Full details of the incident as well as plans from the coast guards of Grenada and Trinidad & Tobago, as well as from those nations’ marine trades groups, MAYAG and YSATT, to minimize future incidents can be found at www.grenadabroadcast.com/content/view/7005 /45/. The Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard advises that pirogues are active from the south coast of Grenada and moving out to the north and east of Tobago to move marijuana to Toco, at the northeast corner of Trinidad. The pirogues are active SEW let te UCM ele aa litem Brea Mele around the gas-drilling rigs as these are used as landmarks for boats without naviga- democracy. This book tells you why.” OP ‘ ; , tion equipment. However, the pirogues range all over the area, from the north coast Serta Sue to MLM CPM LUAU OLS MAGILL (eke) 12 of Venezuela to Tobago and to the south coast of Grenada. - j Z aa Efforts to interdict drugs are underway in this area and cruisers should be aware Extremely well written, very informativeandwery easy a ued of the potential for running into smugglers and/or authorities who may mistake their The eet ripe sie isl vie acai sie ey enjoyable: innocent activities for something criminal. The area off the northeast coast of op Ula Nie Inleli Cet ociciuylAMLUTe LUNES cI Trinidad is patrolled for fisheries protection and drug interdiction activities. These patrol vessels are often unmarked and the crew may not be in uniform, so it is dif “Indeed a book worth reading by all West Indians and ought to be in the national, university and school libraries... an excellent piece of work.” ficult for the cruiser to determine their intentions. _ oe Ae ee mms Wenner MM lr Mie lae item elmo mat oth Please bear in mind that there has been only one incident reported on the Trinidad- Hamburg, Germany Grenada route, although there have been four additional reports of attempts (unsuc- cessful) in the past two years. In view of the large numbers of yachts that make this “Whatever one’s political bent, this book should provide interesting reading. passage each year, the chances of a piracy attempt are very small. Nevertheless, Tae RUM UMW At Com Ua Meer Lae those who do sail this route should take every possible precaution. tells the story of the life of a man: the circumstances, experiences and There are two gas-drilling platforms in the area: Hibiscus at 11°08.8N and decisions which came together to propel him ‘beyond the islands’ and onto 61°39.0W, and Poinsettia at 11°13.9N and 61°31.4W. Both monitor VHF 16 and the international stage.” have, in the past, relayed calls to the Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard. — Jam Rock Magazine The following tips are taken from notes from cruisers and from the precautions page on the Caribbean Safety and Security Net website, www.safetyandsecuritynet. com. Note that in some cases, the suggestions contradict each other: each skipper should make individual choices. = Available in Bequia at Noah’s Arkade and the Bequia Bookstore, in Mustique O at Basil’s General Store, or on the Internet at amazon.co.uk and amazon.com ¢ Think about a response plan before it is needed, with the emphasis on scaring away intruders (and this is certainly appropriate for yachts at anchor as well as those underway). This is the most important preparation a cruiser can make. Think about evasive maneuvers, first aid kit for possible injuries, response to fire aboard (e.g. gas cans hit by gunfire), where is the crew to shelter, can / should any further resistance to boarding be made (flare guns, sprays, etc.), how to initiate a distress call, use of lights and flares, and communication with other vessels and/or law enforcement authorities. ¢ Consider traveling in a group, maintaining VHF or SSB contact on a regular schedule throughout the trip. Use a VHF channel other than 16 for group check-ins, but monitor both that channel and channel 16. ¢ Since all the reported boardings and attempted boardings have occurred during the day, travel at night. Some have suggested that you travel with no lights; how- ever, that has its own inherent dangers. Your radar is of little use to detect these pirogues as they are usually wooden boats and will not show up on radar. ¢ Sail as far east of the rhumb line as possible, away from the locations of the previous reports, although that route means there are fewer other vessels to come to your aid if you need help. MARC Crossing the channels between Caribbean islands with a favorable tide will ¢ Don't discuss your departure plans (time and destination) with strangers on make your passage faster and more comfortable. The table below, courtesy Don shore. Don’t describe your yacht to strangers: current location, name, number of Street, author of Street's Guides and compiler of Imray-Iolaire charts, which people on board, whether or not you are armed. . / shows the time of the meridian passage (or zenith) of the moon for this AND next . The Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard is suggesting that all vessels leaving from month, will help you calculate the tides. Trinidad file a float plan by phone with them: hull description, flag, crew, destina- Water, Don explains, generally tries to run toward the moon. The tide starts tion, estimated time of departure and estimated time of arrival. It is not clear what running to the east soon after moonrise, continues to run east until about an the follow-up will be. If you do file a float plan, be sure to notify the Coast Guard of hour after the moon reaches its zenith (see TIME below) and then runs westward. your safe arrival. From just after the moon’s setting to just after its nadir, the tide runs eastward; ¢ Separate and hide valuables in multiple unpredictable areas on board, including and from just after its nadir to soon after its rising, the tide runs westward; i.e. passports and boat papers. Hide a copy of passports and boat papers in a different tide the floods from west to east. Times given are local. spot. If possible, hide a spare GPS and handheld VHF radio. Maintain a list of serial Note: the maximum tide is 3 or 4 days after the new and full moons. numbers of all equipment, keep it up to date when you add new equipment, and hide For more information, see “Tides and Currents” on the back of all Imray Iolaire a copy of that list. charts. Fair tides! ¢ Make two copies of the contents of all wallets: credit cards (both sides), licenses, DATE TIME 292 1727 ll 0943 etc. Send one copy to a contact at home and hide one copy along with the copy of I 0023 23 1826 12 1024 the passports. Be sure to have telephone numbers for the credit card companies to 2 0115 24 1924 13 1107 report a loss from abroad. 3 0207 25 2021 14 1152 (new) ¢ Check the Caribbean Safety and Security Net website regularly, both for addi- 4 0254 26 2115 15 1239 tional security tips as well as reports of piracy or attempted piracy against other 5 0352 27 2208 16 1331 yachts, and learn lessons from how others have handled a piracy situation. 6 0446 28 2300 17 1425 ¢ If your yacht is approached by a suspicious vessel, immediately activate DSC 7 0540 29 2351 18 1523 on your VHF and begin transmitting on VHF 16 and SSB 2182 that you feel you 8 0633 30 0000 (full) 19 1621 are in danger. Call out your yacht name and your location repeatedly until you 9 0724 31 0044 20 1719 get a response. If you are traveling in a group, one of those yachts will hear you, 10 0813 April 21 1815 and if you are traveling alone, it is possible that another vessel in the area will ty bor foes ua oe aoe hear you and come to assist. If you have DSC activated, that signal will extend a great distance. a ae . pase oe oa Always remember, neither your yacht nor your possessions are worth serious inju- 15 1146 (new) 4 0423 26 2231 ries or worse. But you must consider that anyone willing to randomly fire at your 16 1297 5 O516 27 9393 vessel may not leave you unharmed if they are allowed to board. You must consider 17 1310 6 0606 28 0000 (full) how and whether, and be prepared, to provide resistance to boarders as you deter- 18 1355 7 0654 29 0018 mine to be appropriate. 19 1443 8 0739 30 0113 The Caribbean Safety and Security Net welcomes additional suggestions: e-mail to 20 1535 9 0821 svsecondm@aol.com or use the “contact us” page at www.safetyandsecuritynet.com 21 1630 10 0903 Editor's note: See also Mike Hatch’s letter in this month's Readers’ Forum, page 38.