I have spent the last couple of days with open mouthed astonishment as a group of cruisers here on the Rio organize meetings and protests at dinghy thefts.........
Lets get this into perspective, two dinghies have gone missing in the last couple of weeks, one was found, albeit missing its motor. OOH big crime wave hits the Rio...
Oh come on people get real, talk of danger to boaters and the like is completely out of place. What is fascinating though is that suddenly the boats that wear their religious beliefs on their sleeves are all very vocal! Never mind the poverty, the prostitution, the murders.........somebody is threatening MY dinghy.
There is a meeting today to discuss this 'serious' issue. I have heard ideas of warning all visitors to the Rio that they should stay in a Marina, the reasoning being its 'too dangerous' to anchor out. For gods sake !
Your property is YOUR responsibility. We chain our dinghy to the boat or whatever dock we are visiting with a good solid link chain, through the outboard and fuel can.
If we are in a 'iffy' anchorage the whole thing is lifted on board at night and secured. Yes it takes a while but it does deter the casual thief.
Mind you when you see the size of some of the outboards here on the Rio Dulce I can well understand the temptation to theft. An engine of that size can change the whole lifetime economics of a local family.........
I despair at the shallow, self centred motivation of some of the cruisers we see here. What on earth are they here for? Cruising, no way. This isn't a Theme park it's the big wide world.
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