FAQ - Do you carry guns aboard?

If the #1 most frequently asked question relates to storms we've encountered, the #2 question is “Do you carry guns aboard?” And the response is “No”. Our answer is usually met with raised eyebrows and a bit of disbelief. “Well, you're Americans. We thought for sure you'd have guns!”

The question of guns aboard is a topic of discussion between fellow cruisers, too. After discussing weather, destinations and boat problems, firearms aboard usually creeps into the conversation. Some folks think it's necessary; others disagree. Most cruiser we know, American and otherwise, do not carry guns aboard. We have several reasons for not carrying firearms.

First of all, unless the pirates are small time amateurs, they'd probably have us outgunned. If they threaten with guns and hold us at gunpoint, we might have a chance of getting out alive unless we draw guns, too. If we're outnumbered and outgunned from the start, our chances diminish significantly. We'll either have our own weapons used against us or be shot for resisting. If the pirates are small time operators, they've probably got knives and we'll take our chances with the machetes we have aboard.

There are also practical reasons for not carrying guns aboard. Most countries do not allow firearms to be brought into their country. One of the requirements of entry is to declare all guns aboard. Firearms are usually confiscated and kept by the authorities until the boat departs. If the boat moves from port to port as we'd usually do while cruising, the guns are left at the first entry port. It is the owner's responsibility to pay for transport of the guns by proper authorities from one port to another OR the boat must return to the original entry port. Easy, if it's a small country, but a bit more difficult in Australia or South Africa. By the way, most yachts are robbed or boarded while in marinas or at anchor. Since most countries confiscate firearms, the guns would not be available when you needed them.

All that said, we do carry a flare gun aboard. Most countries will allow a flare gun if the boat is foreign-registered and it is allowed in their home country. We think there would be some slim possibility of using a flare gun against an attacker. Some countries do not even allow flare guns aboard and they, too, must be declared and will be held until departure.

There is an exception to our no-gun philosophy and that would be any trip to the high northern latitudes where wildlife (and I'm talking polar bears) might be an issue. Most cruisers we know that have ventured to the Arctic have carried shotguns aboard, primarily to deter big, dangerous critters from boarding uninvited.

So far, so good. We've never needed a gun for protection in our 16 years aboard and hopefully, never will.

Surviving Pandemonium

Pandemonium – wild uproar or unrestrained disorder; tumult or chaos. It's also the capital of Hell in John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost. “Capital of Hell” is a little strong, but unrestrained disorder … yup, that's been our lives for the last few days. We've been working hard, things are in total disarray, we can't remember where anything is … it's at one house or the other. We're all short-tempered, tired and ready to be done with the move, but still it goes on … and on.

We've been discarding things left and right. They don't fit; we won't use them; perhaps they're broken or just obsolete (audio tapes? VCR movies?) Half of them have been moved to the new house. We've had one moving sale and another is scheduled for next weekend. We've managed to lose all the signs we made. Where could they have gone? We picked them up after the last sale and it's only been a week for heaven's sake. I'm sure they'll turn up AFTER we need them.

We've really tried to keep the disorder to a minimum, but with five of us moving stuff and buying stuff, it's been pretty much impossible. Amazon is doing a land office business this month with just the Lynn clan purchases. We've cobbled together some of Mary's old furniture with thrift shop and consignment store buys. We've been haunting Craigslist and came up with a dining room set. We call it “eclectic” styling and thus far, it seems to work.

Hopefully, the chaos will soon lead to order. We each seem to have our realm of responsibility and have concentrated on settling those areas. Little by little, we see progress being made. Soon we anticipate that peace will descend. Paul will head off trucking to places currently unspecified. David and I will return to Nine of Cups in Trinidad. Mary and Karen will settle into a routine in the new house and get to know the new neighbors in the new neighborhood. By next year at this time, the moving pandemonium will be a distant memory … and we will have survived.

An Experiment in Sibling-ship

“You've bought a new house? Are you swallowing the anchor?” and the unequivocal answer is “No”. Then why buy a house in the middle of the desert? Well, it's an experiment that seems to make sense. David has three sibs … all unattached. It seemed to make sense to pool our resources, find a large enough house to accommodate us all and live together. It's not a new concept. Multi-generational families having been sharing homes for all time. Some countries and ethnic groups do it more often than others. So sibs sharing a house isn't all that unusual. It's not as common in the USA, but we figured we'd give it a try.

Having family living together provides a built-in support system, a sharing of responsibility and finances and a wonderful way for families to meld and take care of each other as they age. There are drawbacks, of course. We've all been independent for most of our lives, living apart from the sibs and making our own way in the world. We have different philosophies, different politics, different tastes in decorating and style. Now there are others who need to be consulted before you paint a room lavender or buy new living room furniture. We don't necessarily need total consensus, but it's nice when there's some agreement.

Honestly, over the past few weeks when stress levels have been particularly high and we're all exhausted from the move, we've had our moments. We've bickered and squabbled a bit. We've disagreed. But so far, the experiment seems to be working. Everyone has managed to compromise enough to accommodate a peaceful co-existence.