Even though thousands of us head to the Caribbean every winter on our own boats, with friends or to sail aboard a charter boat, there are still incidents of robbery and even piracy that have always been an issue to deal with. Quite a few years ago when theft, boardings and piracy were a real problem off the north coast of South America, some of it related to drug trafficking and some just plain criminal, a group of cruisers got together to form the Caribbean Safety and Security Net on their HF Radios. Now in the internet age, the CSSN website is the place to stay up to date on where the hots spots and where it is safer.
Central America, particularly off the coast of Nicaragua, is now seeing higher than normal incidents of encounters of the pirate kind. Cruisers are making the run southward from Guatemala to Panama by heading way offshore and staying in contact with the Colombian Navy while en route.
Trinidad and the islands off the North Coast of Venezuela have always had their share of robberies and boardings. Since the collapse of the Venezuelan economy in the last few years, the likelihood of being boarded and robbed has increased.
So, if you are headed to the Caribbean this winter or are already there, beware, be warned and check out the CSSN by clicking here.