Thank you for your coverage of piracy. Being forewarned was very helpful in St Lucia and St Vincent where we chartered for two weeks in 07.

One reason we think we were safe from theft was that my husband bought a bracelet from a local on the first day. He was also very friendly to them. From then on, every time we anchored and a local boat approached, the bracelet was mentioned and admired and it seemed that everyone knew who sold it to us. We definitely felt it inadvertently bought us protection.

We were anchored in very dicey areas, surrounded by locals, sometimes alone. And word got around that we were OK. These people are desperately poor and this now seemed such a small price to pay. However, I would not assume this method would work everywhere. There are very desperate people on these isolated islands we all like to visit and if we come loaded with what is essentially a lifetime earnings for them all wrapped up in a nice package (a boat), then theft is to be expected.

Bring gifts (especially for the children) and buy local.

Pam and Bruce Orisek

S/Y Silent Running

homeport San Francisco