On Thu, 23 Jun 2005 15:07:18 -0400, rhys wrote:
Almost anything is better than your idea, which may seem clever to
you, but is the equivalent of filling a tank on board with undeclared
rum, or bringing drugs into a country.
I agree entirely. From those cruising yachts we have met, it seems
that mainly American yachts feel that carrying guns is necessary. It
should be borne in mind that:
1 Those who are going to attack you are probably more likely to shoot
than you are and probably value life (others) less. We have an
American couple as friends who we have cruised with for a while. He is
a retired IBMer who has never really used a gun. He has an old shotgun
on board that he has so much trouble with every time he enters or
leaves a country - an extra thing to do when you leave. I simply
cannot imagine him pulling the trigger quickly enough to kill someone.
He has different moral values than those that may attack him.
2. Opponents of carrying guns such as Peter Tangveld (lots of cruising
experience) say that if you don't have a weapon you are more likely to
survive - obviously there are exceptions. Tangveld believes that his
wife would not have been shot dead if she had not pointed her rifle.
Their attackers did not harm he or his child but merely took what they
wanted. Peter Blake would not have been shot in the Amazon if he had
not emerged with a firearm. The others with him were not shot.
We personally have met with cruisers who have been attacked by
"pirates" in the Gulf of Yemen; all the boarders wanted was their gear
and money.
3. Legally, guns of any type have to be declared and surrendered to
customs officials or the police on entry in all countries we have
visited so far. There are serious penalties for not doing so. An
Australian customs officer told us that they expect that most US
yachts carry weapons and sometimes search the vessel if none are
declared and the person "seems to be the type who would carry a gun".
An Australian millionare was recently gaoled in Indonesia for not
declaring his weapons. Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have the
death penalty for having unlicenced firearms (in their countries) and
do hang people for this offence.
4. If you declare your weaponry and surrender it to officials upon
entry to a country then you won't have it when you probably need it
most - few attacks on yachts occur at sea. Most happen whilst at
anchor.
It should be borne in mind that a yacht may be boarded by those with
malice aforethought anywhere. It does not have to be Indonesia or
Brazil. There have been several incidents whilst anchored in the Bay
of Naples and even to a yacht anchored off the city of Messina in
Italy that come to mind. These are acts of piracy too, or are pirates
members of that class only if they wear an eye patch, have a peg leg
and have a parrot on their shoulder?
We have another American friend who sails with his family between
Malaysia and the Phillippines. He has a wooden "replica" of an M-16
that he waves about if suspicious characters come to close. Most
attackers do not want to get hurt either. He dopesn't have to
surrender this to the authorities.
with all of this I admit that I have a 12 gauge flare pistol with
standard flares. It is purely a weapon of final self defence and is
mounted below in its cannister where I can grab it is someone boards
while we are sleeping.
What really worries us and others we have talked to is those who do
carry weaponry. Some Americans are adherents of the gun culture who
seem to think that it is ok to shoot someone even if your property is
being threatened. What if I rowed up to their boat at night for any
reason - might I get shot by a gung-ho John Wayne type?
Peter.
N.Z. yacht Herodotus
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