Caribbean Piracy

[SailNet]

Are there any reliable sources out there for information regarding piracy in the Caribbean?

SailNet responds:
Thanks for your inquiry. There are several places that you can turn to get information regarding incidents of piracy in the Caribbean. First, the International Chamber of Commerce maintains a website dedicated to warning mariners about incidents of piracy on a worldwide basis. Here's the url for that site: www.iccwbo.org/ccs./imb_piracy/weekly_piracy_report.asp.

Now, because the content on that website is intended for commercial vessels, and it doesn't specifically cover the Caribbean, we also recommend that you also check out the Caribbean Maritime Mobile Net. The Net is essentially an informational service for cruisers in the Caribbean run by, what else, cruisers in the Caribbean. The Net operates daily on 7.241 MHz from 1100Z to 1200Z. If anything is going on that cruisers need to know about in the Caribbean—including the Gulf of Mexico—it usually surfaces in those broadcasts. The group that runs the Net also has a website (www.viaccess.net/~kv4jc/). There's also a fairly useful monthly publication entitled the Caribbean Compass, and you can find their online representation at www.caribbeancompass.com.