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Self Defense When Your Options are Limited, by L.J.
It started with a pirate story. I was chatting up an old sea captain and asking how folks might take countermeasure against the threat of pirates (think Somali-like, not Disney-like). He explained that most pirating these days in North and South American waters is either drug related or opportunistic. To avoid the former, avoid anything associated with the drug trade. To avoid the latter, harden your target a little bit. I was particularly interested in the non-firearms related aspects of this, since when cruising on the ocean, many ports of call are in countries with less than friendly firearms laws. Saving a discussion of the relative risks of defying the laws/needing a firearm for self defense/ending up in the local jail of some banana republic on weapons charges for another day, I wanted to know what my options were.
He told me that since the overwhelming majority of the opportunistic pirating would be by barefoot young men approaching an anchored boat at night with a small dinghy with outboard motor. Capitalizing on the barefoot and night components, he told me about one trick used by some yacht owners anchoring for the night in new waters. Taking a roll of all weather carpet and putting a series of carpet tacks or small nails through the carpet so that it could be easily unrolled at night on deck, he told stories of intruders jumping on deck, letting out a screech, and jumping overboard. No confrontation required! In the morning the roll of spiked carpet could be easily rolled up and stowed until needed again. This sort of low-tech, simple technology solution appealed to me.
Of course he described the various options for legal weapons on board the ship, from spear guns (turns out many countries even have restrictions on these!) to machetes (best tool for opening coconuts, and not at all considered suspicious) to gaff hooks (pulling big fish on board). Pepper spray, as ever, is an option, with certain restrictions by country, and the fact that wind and proximity may affect the defender as well as the attacker.
The idea that most intrigued me however was the flashlight. Maybe I should use a different word, flashlight conjures up visions of that plastic yellow c-cell clunker sitting in the kitchen drawer that you got for $5 at the hardware store and casts a pitiful light when it works at all. No, he told me about the million candle power spotlights that many boats carry as night time navigation aids. Sit one of those in your cabin. You already locked and barred the door to the cabin securely when you retired for the evening right? So odds are after a few minutes of unsuccessful efforts, the would be pirates will simply take what ever was of value close at hand on deck and leave, but should they succeed in getting in to the cabin, flipping the switch and blinding the intruders with the incredible light of one of these spotlights will buy you a very significant tactical advantage to strike back in what ever fashion you have available to you.
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