Our New GOST Security System

0400 hours December 12, 2014, Rum Cay: raised anchor and set course for Mayaguana, 125 nm to the south east.  Although the night had been calm with winds under 10 knots, there was an uncomfortable surge on our beam. This gave us an opportunity to to use the stabilizer system we had installed for this situation, with two 11 foot spinnaker poles and two Magma stainless steel folding plate stabilizers. These don't stop the roll but significantly dampen it. 

Having read the PassageMaker article about security in the Caribbean last summer and having set through a session conducted by the same author at the October Trawler Fest, it was clear we needed to take some precautions. Our goal is always to do everything we can to prevent an adverse incident.  To this end we had a security system installed with deck sensors that set off deafening sirens and flashing lights as soon as anyone stepped on the boat. With the high rate of dingy theft in the Caribbean we also installed the deck sensors in our large dingy. As a further precaution we changed our deck lights to LEDs and put some of them on a photocells. We also installed a worldwide satellite tracking system to track the vessel if it were stolen, and added high water and low power sensors that would remotely notify us of any problems. The GOST System (Global Ocean Security technologies) was the only system we found that was designed for our specific needs. 

Before going to sleep as the only boat anchored in the bay at Port Nelson on Rum Cay the night before, we set the security alarm.  At 0200 hours on the morning of the 12th the alarm went off. By the time we could get to the salon to look through windows at our lighted decks, there was no one their. Out of precaution we waited a few minutes before unlocking the doors and venturing to the railing to search the water for anyone. We could find nothing but were comforted by the fact that the system had been successful in chasing what ever it was away. 

Like the day before Buoy Weather's predictions of over two meters of sea was wrong, and Chris Parker's predictions of 2 to 4 foot seas were correct. We arrived at our destination of Start Bay on the south west side of Mayguana island just as the sun set. We had chosen this location based on Stephen Pavlidis' recommendations  that  this was a good stopping point with easy departure in the morning dark.