[PUP] Thefts in St. Martin

[Truelove39 at aol.com]

There  is much FUD bandied about regarding the dangers in the EC islands. 
This is  mostly hearsay and is happily passed on, mostly by newcomers to the 
area. 
 
As  one who has sailed each winter season in the Windwards over the past ten 
years,  I can say with some certainty that the recent security situation is 
vastly  overblown. Some folks are victims of their own lack of taking reasonable 
care of  their security. They tie their dink to their boat with rope and when 
it is gone  in the morning they cry thief, and tell everyone about the 
danger. Would you  leave your wallet on a bench in Grand Central Station in New York 
City? Of  course not. 
 
Dave  of Swan Song reports no problems in Puerto La Cruz, VZ, nor on passage  
there and back, but his positive experience means that he has taken proper  
precautions. To say that there are no serious problems there is dangerous, as  
there have been plenty of incidents there in recent years which are violent  
crime far beyond dinghy thefts.
 
Please  be cautious and by all means listen to the Security net on 8104 at 
0815 each  morning until you know the trouble spots and what precautions to 
take. 
 
For  a compilation of trouble over the past years in various islands visit 
_http://www.safetyandsecuritynet.com/_ (http://www.safetyandsecuritynet.com/) 
Be  aware that these pages may not be up to the minute. 
 
Go  and visit the Eastern Caribbean islands and enjoy all they have to offer 
before  they become like the rest of Paradise.
 
Regards,
 
John  & Penny
"Seahorse"
 



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