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All the hidden firearms, and 100 round mags in the world aren't going to help you when you are docked and suddenly boarded by desperate fugitives who will kill you and steal your boat.
I wasn't there and don't know what happened, but I imagine is was dark, quick and caught them by surprise. None of this pursuit on the high seas drama. |
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Quoted: That's a sailboat - not a yacht You can legally carry firearms in some places. Someone already posted reddit. Here is the most common citation for Country-level regulations. As others have mentioned - rules become more guidelines the further south you go. You DO get boarded in many of these Countries - both upon entry, while traveling and upon exit. Here's an RDBF (Royal Bahamian Defense Force) contingent on my boat checking my serial numbers against my paperwork and counting every round of ammo. You can see a Larue OBR in 7.62 in the guy's left hand and a Mossberg Marine 12GA in his right. I'm holding a Glock 19. I was paddleboarding off the beach when they "invited them to join them" and took me to the boat. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/4267/Skylounge_2019-05-09_10_02_52_502-941849.jpg View Quote I’m guessing you’d have fewer headaches in the Bahamas versus mooring off of Long Island? |
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Quoted: Lol. I knew him in SOF and he was a "break in case of war" type dude….he was a Southy and prior to joining he worked for certain individuals in that part of Boston collecting debts and whatever else needed to be done . I know for a fact he didn't give a fuck if it was stealing of not…. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: But is it really stealing if the now-previous owners are dead? Lol. I knew him in SOF and he was a "break in case of war" type dude….he was a Southy and prior to joining he worked for certain individuals in that part of Boston collecting debts and whatever else needed to be done . I know for a fact he didn't give a fuck if it was stealing of not…. South Boston is now all gentrified. $1 million and up for a 1 bedroom apartment. |
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Quoted: That's a sailboat - not a yacht You can legally carry firearms in some places. Someone already posted reddit. Here is the most common citation for Country-level regulations. As others have mentioned - rules become more guidelines the further south you go. You DO get boarded in many of these Countries - both upon entry, while traveling and upon exit. Here's an RDBF (Royal Bahamian Defense Force) contingent on my boat checking my serial numbers against my paperwork and counting every round of ammo. You can see a Larue OBR in 7.62 in the guy's left hand and a Mossberg Marine 12GA in his right. I'm holding a Glock 19. I was paddleboarding off the beach when they "invited them to join them" and took me to the boat. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/4267/Skylounge_2019-05-09_10_02_52_502-941849.jpg View Quote Is that you dad? |
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Quoted: All that $ for the boat and no guns?! View Quote When in port you usually have to turn in your guns to the authorities. I'm curious how they conduct searches and if there would be a good way to hide the guns for port calls. However, the hassle likely pushes many to simply leave guns at home. |
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Ehh...they look like the type that would vote for open boarders and want people to open their homes to migrants. They ain't going to open THEIR home...but you should open your.
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Quoted: All the hidden firearms, and 100 round mags in the world aren't going to help you when you are docked and suddenly boarded by desperate fugitives who will kill you and steal your boat. I wasn't there and don't know what happened, but I imagine is was dark, quick and caught them by surprise. None of this pursuit on the high seas drama. View Quote A G19 close at hand might have. |
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Quoted: All the hidden firearms, and 100 round mags in the world aren't going to help you when you are docked and suddenly boarded by desperate fugitives who will kill you and steal your boat. I wasn't there and don't know what happened, but I imagine is was dark, quick and caught them by surprise. None of this pursuit on the high seas drama. View Quote Agreed. I was referring to practical choices to fight piracy that occurs on the "high seas". But mooring your boat in 3rd world ghetto is a whole different thing. |
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this was the film i thought of when i saw this thread. |
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Quoted: It's a sad story but a 100% probability these were rich socialite democrats cruising those waters with more money than sense. Probably invited those men to come aboard and offered to make them sandwiches. View Quote You've never spent any time at sea have you? You're talking out of your ass about 2 dead American's, not a great look. |
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Quoted: All the hidden firearms, and 100 round mags in the world aren't going to help you when you are docked and suddenly boarded by desperate fugitives who will kill you and steal your boat. I wasn't there and don't know what happened, but I imagine is was dark, quick and caught them by surprise. None of this pursuit on the high seas drama. View Quote I might not survive but if I have to go I'd like to have the ability to take one or two with me |
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Quoted: I might not survive but if I have to go I'd like to have the ability to take one or two with me View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: All the hidden firearms, and 100 round mags in the world aren't going to help you when you are docked and suddenly boarded by desperate fugitives who will kill you and steal your boat. I wasn't there and don't know what happened, but I imagine is was dark, quick and caught them by surprise. None of this pursuit on the high seas drama. I might not survive but if I have to go I'd like to have the ability to take one or two with me And none of those countries enforce those firearm laws against the criminals in their own country. I'm not suggesting anyone break the law. But I wonder what 'real' adherence is. I would imagine Bezos' or Gate's yacht has a pretty nice stash of weapons on board. Guessing the laws get waived in those, and other, cases. |
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Quoted: It's a labyrinth of local laws to navigate, but there are legal ways to sail armed through the Bahamas and the Caribbean. However, being armed is only step one. Lack of awareness, training and proper mindset will get you killed too. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I've heard that guns onboard will get you into serious trouble in many other countries. It's a labyrinth of local laws to navigate, but there are legal ways to sail armed through the Bahamas and the Caribbean. However, being armed is only step one. Lack of awareness, training and proper mindset will get you killed too. |
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You should never sail the Caribbean with anything less than two .45's and a Mac-10.
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Quoted: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/american-couple-feared-dead-as-escaped-prisoners-hijack-yacht-in-caribbean A Virginia couple who were enjoying their retirement cruising the Caribbean on their yacht are feared dead after three escaped prisoners hijacked their vessel. Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel were docked on Sunday in the St. George's area of Grenada, which they frequent annually in the winter months when authorities say the three fugitives set upon them and stole their yacht called "Simplicity." The vessel is a catamaran, a type of sailing yacht with two hulls. https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/dff60adc-48ac-4032-b1fc-90ae3ad7b52d/simplicity-yacht-ht-jef-240223_1708725431104_hpEmbed_3x4.jpg Basically boat ransacked by 3 Grenada pirates and found anchored by a third party. Pirates in jail and couple missing. https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox10phoenix.com/www.fox10phoenix.com/content/uploads/2024/02/764/432/CMS-1280X-720-2024-02-24T195120.537.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 View Quote |
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Quoted: Every boat that is big enough to live on and truely go out to sea has some where you could hide a handgun and a box or two of ammo. Problem is you need a pretty deep hiding spot if you’re not gonna declare it, if they decide to search they know all the normal hiding places. Then its hidden so deep its not something you get to in a hurry. View Quote |
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Quoted: Once again - it all depends. Bahamas you HAVE to declare and police are ligit. Other countries, Haiti, etc. Its anything goes, bribe as you want. Sail to S. America, anything goes - bribe as you want. Puerto Rico, US laws. declare everything, police are legit, do not bribe. every place is completely different. But for most part = high seas = pretty lawless. I stayed at the Montana and a couple others in Petionville. Helluva place. They're probably all wrecked by the earthquakes. I lived in Haiti and had a place in Port Au Prince, in Petionville actually, and Haiti you can go whatever you want. Its basically Bartertown the size of a country. Theres tons of info online reddit View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I've wondered about this. Had always heard that being armed while sailing could get you into serious trouble with local authorities. And one will certainly encounter local authorities regularly whether in port or off shore (local or U.S. CG). So if arms are declared are they ok? If a "problem" occurred how much was an acceptable bribe? Once again - it all depends. Bahamas you HAVE to declare and police are ligit. Other countries, Haiti, etc. Its anything goes, bribe as you want. Sail to S. America, anything goes - bribe as you want. Puerto Rico, US laws. declare everything, police are legit, do not bribe. every place is completely different. But for most part = high seas = pretty lawless. I stayed at the Montana and a couple others in Petionville. Helluva place. They're probably all wrecked by the earthquakes. I lived in Haiti and had a place in Port Au Prince, in Petionville actually, and Haiti you can go whatever you want. Its basically Bartertown the size of a country. Theres tons of info online reddit I stayed in the Montana and a couple others in Petionville. Probably wrecked by the earthquakes now. |
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I’d want one of these.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tLcwZ4p2pIU&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mdshooters.com%2F&source_ve_path=MA&feature=emb_rel_end |
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Quoted: A few posts up indicated there are, but if you get caught, kiss your boat and guns goodbye. You'll also get thrown in some shithole island prison. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Wouldn't there be a million places to hide guns on a yacht? A few posts up indicated there are, but if you get caught, kiss your boat and guns goodbye. You'll also get thrown in some shithole island prison. Your boat can be searched by multiple government groups at any time. While it's cute to think about a glock in a toilet or a shotgun in a diesel tank - the reality is they'll find it if they want to. It's not so much losing the firearms and the boat that is the problem - it's losing the rest of your life. There are more than a few people doing prison in places like Mexico or Fox Hill in the Bahamas for having an unregistered firearm. It comes down to risk management - what's the likelihood you'll be the victim of a murder versus caught by the government? It's not an easy decision, and I'd recommend we not judge too quickly about those that choose to travel unarmed into these Countries. |
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Quoted: I might not survive but if I have to go I'd like to have the ability to take one or two with me View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: All the hidden firearms, and 100 round mags in the world aren't going to help you when you are docked and suddenly boarded by desperate fugitives who will kill you and steal your boat. I wasn't there and don't know what happened, but I imagine is was dark, quick and caught them by surprise. None of this pursuit on the high seas drama. I might not survive but if I have to go I'd like to have the ability to take one or two with me The takeaway for most of us is to be aware that a big chunk of security is not hidden guns. |
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Quoted: Your boat can be searched by multiple government groups at any time. While it's cute to think about a glock in a toilet or a shotgun in a diesel tank - the reality is they'll find it if they want to. It's not so much losing the firearms and the boat that is the problem - it's losing the rest of your life. There are more than a few people doing prison in places like Mexico or Fox Hill in the Bahamas for having an unregistered firearm. It comes down to risk management - what's the likelihood you'll be the victim of a murder versus caught by the government? It's not an easy decision, and I'd recommend we not judge too quickly about those that choose to travel unarmed into these Countries. View Quote My question is why would I put myself in great danger with no rights to defend myself? The answer is I do not. |
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what about other weapons ?
spear gun. machetes. large knives. baseball bats. etc would anything like that be permissible when sailing in caribbean waters ? better than nothing |
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When I was a kid, I remember going with my parents on their friends Bertram Yacht a few times. We would sail from Miami to the Nassau. I remember one time my dads friend showed us his boat's weapons. He had a couple of shotguns, pistols and an M16/AR15 type rifle. I always thought it was so cool, lol.
30 years later, whenever we go out on our boat, I always have a Remington shotgun and a Glock 17 on board. Point of the story. If you're going to travel on a boat, always be armed. |
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Quoted: My question is why would I put myself in great danger with no rights to defend myself? The answer is I do not. View Quote @Rheinmetall792 I generally don't either. The irony is that while I travel armed internationally, I have to travel the US disarmed because I go to NYC and Washington DC. I also can't carry NODs or other ITAR regulated items within the US because I go further than 12nm offshore. |
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If you sail the Caribbean, you should be prepared to repel boarders.
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@blackfox - How are you finding the starlink setup , in terms of how stable is it when you are under way ?
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Quoted: Not having one can get you seriously dead. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I've heard that guns onboard will get you into serious trouble in many other countries. Not having one can get you seriously dead. Obey the law = 1% chance of nearly defenseless death on the high seas Flout the law = 10% chance of decades or a life of imprisonment or even death * - Numbers made up purely for the purposes of emphasizing a point |
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Quoted: I have 28 cameras on board my boat, and every ipad or computer on the boat can view them (in addition to fixed screens throughout the boat). Everyone thought I was a little paranoid at first. I can't count the number of times someone said "thank goodness you have those cameras!" There's always someone on the boat when we're outside of the US, and the expectation is that if they're awake they're in a position to watch the cameras. There's really only two areas you can board my boat, and both have double-locking doors. They also have cameras with motion sensors on them. Here's a sample view of the cameras: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/4267/IMG_0756_JPG-953215.jpg Here's a guy that broke onto our boat in Mystic CT. The local news ran footage of him and he was found very quickly. A motion sensor woke me up and I chased him off the bow (he swam to safety). https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/4267/Aft_Deck_Starboard_2018-08-28_10_23_26_196-653675.jpg I also recently added a high end FLIR system with scanning ability. It spins and looks for heat signatures, and then tracks and follows them once discovered. This is very handy when on the hook. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/4267/IMG_8843-3091087.jpg We have hardened locks on our doors that break "locked" when they break. We have door sensors hooked to an alarm system that sounds an alarm at appropriate times. We had an alarm system installed with manual buttons in every cabin that has audible sirens and strobes outside the boat. The ventilation systems are self-contained (meaning air from one cabin does not flow to the other, because our system uses chilled or heater water versus an air handler). We have yet to find a place tear gas grenades are illegal. Of course, we also carry a few large machetes and a sword or two near exit doors. If asked, they're for cutting lines in the event of an emergency. I'm not saying everyone has to go to this extreme, but there's a lot of things (many of them affordable) that you can do that put you in a more advantageous situation. I'd bet money this couple didn't even lock their doors. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I'm not making a risk/reward analysis on the option of flouting local law on firearms. My point was more about being ready and aware of what's going on at all times, ESPECIALLY when docked in a 3rd world country and anyone can board your boat in seconds. The takeaway for most of us is to be aware that a big chunk of security is not hidden guns. I have 28 cameras on board my boat, and every ipad or computer on the boat can view them (in addition to fixed screens throughout the boat). Everyone thought I was a little paranoid at first. I can't count the number of times someone said "thank goodness you have those cameras!" There's always someone on the boat when we're outside of the US, and the expectation is that if they're awake they're in a position to watch the cameras. There's really only two areas you can board my boat, and both have double-locking doors. They also have cameras with motion sensors on them. Here's a sample view of the cameras: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/4267/IMG_0756_JPG-953215.jpg Here's a guy that broke onto our boat in Mystic CT. The local news ran footage of him and he was found very quickly. A motion sensor woke me up and I chased him off the bow (he swam to safety). https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/4267/Aft_Deck_Starboard_2018-08-28_10_23_26_196-653675.jpg I also recently added a high end FLIR system with scanning ability. It spins and looks for heat signatures, and then tracks and follows them once discovered. This is very handy when on the hook. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/4267/IMG_8843-3091087.jpg We have hardened locks on our doors that break "locked" when they break. We have door sensors hooked to an alarm system that sounds an alarm at appropriate times. We had an alarm system installed with manual buttons in every cabin that has audible sirens and strobes outside the boat. The ventilation systems are self-contained (meaning air from one cabin does not flow to the other, because our system uses chilled or heater water versus an air handler). We have yet to find a place tear gas grenades are illegal. Of course, we also carry a few large machetes and a sword or two near exit doors. If asked, they're for cutting lines in the event of an emergency. I'm not saying everyone has to go to this extreme, but there's a lot of things (many of them affordable) that you can do that put you in a more advantageous situation. I'd bet money this couple didn't even lock their doors. |
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Quoted: @blackfox - How are you finding the starlink setup , in terms of how stable is it when you are under way ? View Quote @dttheliman I haven't actually traveled with the starlink yet, but I'm confident it will do well. I purchased the actual marine version, so the dish is huge (probably 2.5'x2.5'). Starlink is really cracking down on people that use the RV versions on the ocean. They cut your service off completely without notice if they catch you, so I went with the commercial system. The biggest challenge with the marine version is that you have a quota for bandwidth, and you get hit with big fees for usage above that while underway. At the current time they do NOT care if you run over your quota sitting in port. the second you go off the dock, though, they hit you with overages. Here are the Starlink maritime plans. I'm currently blowing past my 50GB limit within a week, so we'll have to upgrade to the $1K/month plan when we start moving this summer. The speed has been ridiculously great so far, and it integrated well with our onboard systems. My only bummer about Starlink in general is that the general public can now go to all the places I have had to myself for years. Traffic in the Exumas, for example, has doubled since Starlink came out and everyone started working from home. It's a lot harder to find quiet empty anchorages these days. It is pretty crazy to think about doing a videoconference call in middle of the ocean, though! |
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Quoted: I have 28 cameras on board my boat, and every ipad or computer on the boat can view them (in addition to fixed screens throughout the boat). Everyone thought I was a little paranoid at first. I can't count the number of times someone said "thank goodness you have those cameras!" There's always someone on the boat when we're outside of the US, and the expectation is that if they're awake they're in a position to watch the cameras. There's really only two areas you can board my boat, and both have double-locking doors. They also have cameras with motion sensors on them. Here's a sample view of the cameras: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/4267/IMG_0756_JPG-953215.jpg Here's a guy that broke onto our boat in Mystic CT. The local news ran footage of him and he was found very quickly. A motion sensor woke me up and I chased him off the bow (he swam to safety). https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/4267/Aft_Deck_Starboard_2018-08-28_10_23_26_196-653675.jpg I also recently added a high end FLIR system with scanning ability. It spins and looks for heat signatures, and then tracks and follows them once discovered. This is very handy when on the hook. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/4267/IMG_8843-3091087.jpg We have hardened locks on our doors that break "locked" when they break. We have door sensors hooked to an alarm system that sounds an alarm at appropriate times. We had an alarm system installed with manual buttons in every cabin that has audible sirens and strobes outside the boat. The ventilation systems are self-contained (meaning air from one cabin does not flow to the other, because our system uses chilled or heater water versus an air handler). We have yet to find a place tear gas grenades are illegal. Of course, we also carry a few large machetes and a sword or two near exit doors. If asked, they're for cutting lines in the event of an emergency. I'm not saying everyone has to go to this extreme, but there's a lot of things (many of them affordable) that you can do that put you in a more advantageous situation. I'd bet money this couple didn't even lock their doors. View Quote Cool and sad at the same time. Sad that the world we live in requires this. |
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Quoted: True everywhere but I imagine in the marine environment even more so. All kinds of considerations especially location dependent. Can radar (if you're so equipped) pick up and warn about even the smallest approaching craft? Guessing that may depend on weather or sea state. Is there such a thing as a boarding alarm? Maintain 24 hour watch? How friendly can you afford to be with apparently harmless other cruisers encountered at sea? Definitely would want nov/thermal. View Quote I've read about cases where shady cruisers killed others they met. Poor young hippie types killing older more affluent people to take their gear. At sea with a possible pirate attack it seems it is often fishing boats or similar that might chase. In one video the female of the couple stayed out of sight when near sketchy motor boats. They would see the boat in the distance but were not necessary able to maintain distance, since the other craft might be faster. |
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Quoted: @Rheinmetall792 I generally don't either. The irony is that while I travel armed internationally, I have to travel the US disarmed because I go to NYC and Washington DC. I also can't carry NODs or other ITAR regulated items within the US because I go further than 12nm offshore. View Quote What bullshit. All the nods Biden donated to taliban. |
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Quoted: I've read about cases where shady cruisers killed others they met. Poor young hippie types killing older more affluent people to take their gear. At sea with a possible pirate attack it seems it is often fishing boats or similar that might chase. In one video the female of the couple stayed out of sight when near sketchy motor boats. They would see the boat in the distance but were not necessary able to maintain distance, since the other craft might be faster. View Quote Hiding the womenfolk is a good rule around USCG and other pirates |
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Quoted: @Rheinmetall792 I generally don't either. The irony is that while I travel armed internationally, I have to travel the US disarmed because I go to NYC and Washington DC. I also can't carry NODs or other ITAR regulated items within the US because I go further than 12nm offshore. View Quote I've never been to DC or NYC. And probably never will. I'm glad. |
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Quoted: @dttheliman I haven't actually traveled with the starlink yet, but I'm confident it will do well. I purchased the actual marine version, so the dish is huge (probably 2.5'x2.5'). Starlink is really cracking down on people that use the RV versions on the ocean. They cut your service off completely without notice if they catch you, so I went with the commercial system. The biggest challenge with the marine version is that you have a quota for bandwidth, and you get hit with big fees for usage above that while underway. At the current time they do NOT care if you run over your quota sitting in port. the second you go off the dock, though, they hit you with overages. Here are the Starlink maritime plans. I'm currently blowing past my 50GB limit within a week, so we'll have to upgrade to the $1K/month plan when we start moving this summer. The speed has been ridiculously great so far, and it integrated well with our onboard systems. My only bummer about Starlink in general is that the general public can now go to all the places I have had to myself for years. Traffic in the Exumas, for example, has doubled since Starlink came out and everyone started working from home. It's a lot harder to find quiet empty anchorages these days. It is pretty crazy to think about doing a videoconference call in middle of the ocean, though! View Quote @blackfox Yep Ive just got the marine version Ill be experimenting when it arrives and I can get out to the BVI (at least a couple of months out, Ill get it installed before we put it back in the water, its been an expensive year with new paint etc - well you know how that works ) I do have the original fixed set up at my acreage in the Texas Alps it functions very well out there - same deal we can stream 4k movies and do a video teams call at the same time, seems like a no-brainer, don't know how much I would use it in open water as most of our cruising is short, unless we are really bored and change islands, I may go down to the ABC's later this summer I have some friends with a private quay in Curacao, I will have to beat my boys up for crew as that's a long ass way in a 43' cat which will really test the gb limit. |
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