Living on a sailboat, especially in the Caribbean can be a tremendous amount of fun. In all of our 8 winters we never had a security issue or felt uncomfortable...neither did our cruising buddies. It was and is mostly common sense.

The locals tended to look at cruisers much differently than the cruise ship passengers or guests at the ritzy resorts on their island. There are many reasons for that:

· Cruisers are not in a hurry
· We look alike, find me a cruiser without Teva sandals, I'll show you a rookie
· We take local transportation, buses, 14 passenger vans (maxi taxi)
· We do as the locals do, eat street food, and blend in

The general "rules" we followed in the islands:

· No jewelry
· Wear plastic watches
· Smile...duh
· Be on board at dark
· Wear a fanny pack worn in the front

On the rare occasion you might be out at dusk or dark:

· Go with other cruisers
· Be polite
· Save your heavy partying for the boat

Following these suggestions we never had a problem. But this is no different than what you should do in the US. It is just common sense. Living on a sailboat does not mean shutting off your brain.

I am constantly asked about pirates. Never saw any, never heard of any. Sorry, if piracy is holding you back from living on a sailboat, you'll need another excuse. Think about it...if you were a drug smuggler would you steal a sailboat that goes 5 knots or a cigarette boat that will do 80?

On board the boat, the dinghy was pulled up on davits. This not only made the dinghy harder to steal it eliminated the sounds the water makes when hitting a tethered boat...you don't want to detract from cocktail hour. That's why you are living on a sailboat in the first place...to enjoy yourselves.

Lock your dinghy when going ashore. That will never deter a determined thief with bolt cutters, but it will help. I noticed a lot of cruisers engraved the name of their boat on the dinghy's motor support.

Your attitude is of utmost importance. If you expect something bad to happen it just might happen. On the other hand if you are friendly the natives will respond back to you in kind. I am not talking groveling or being condescending. Just be polite and act like a guest.

Some attitudes to avoid:

· Compare their island to the US
· Point out the poverty you may observe
· Expect things to be done like it is at home

In summation ,living on a sailboat in the Caribbean is a tremendous amount of fun. Use your common sense and it will be as safe as your easy chair back home. Enjoy you lucky people, enjoy.