Welcome to our Frequently Asked Questions page, where we address the most common queries about the Caribbean Safety and Security Net (CSSN). Whether you’re a first-time cruiser or a seasoned sailor, this resource is designed to help you navigate our site, understand how we compile and share safety and security information, and make informed decisions about how and where your cruise. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, feel free to reach out to us directly.
Every captain has their own unique circumstances and risk profile, and our information is presented in a factual way to keep captains well informed and provide them with current (and historic) information. Captains must consider many factors including the specifics of their yacht, the capabilities of their crew and then make their own well informed choices about how and where they cruise. Know Before You Go! is our tagline.
CSSN is an all-volunteer organization and our resources are limited. We have to draw the line somewhere. Our information sharing partner, Noonsite does cover these countries, visit their website and choose the [Countries] menu option to learn more about any location and learn what has been happening there.
We are autonomous and self-funded, our volunteers pay for website hosting and expenses, security reviews, website tools, etc.
No, we don’t sell anything, to anyone, including advertising. We receive no monies from anyone other than contributions toward operating expenses made by our own all-volunteer staff. All of our reports are provided for free, and free of the influences advertisers and sponsors often exert on publishers.
We have partnered selectively with four well known, well respected organizations. The Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA) since 2015, Noonsite beginning in 2016, Boatwatch in 2019, and Noforeignland in 2023. Noonsite continues to work closely with us when reports are received and vetted, and we share substantial information/content between our sites. Noforeignland offers our data to their users via a third party (Free) subscription. The result is more for you from all of us.
Yes! If you choose to use or publish any of our graphs or charts, please be certain to properly credit The CSSN and include a link to our website. If you have specific questions after using these options or want to look at older data just get in touch using the Contact form and we will help. We ask only that you properly credit CSSN as your source if you republish our information.
The easiest and best way to file an incident report is to select the Report Incident icon located on the home page (and many other places as well) on the CSSN website. It will lead you through some simple but important questions, and takes only a few minutes to complete.
Our online form collects important basic information, like time, date, location and type of incident, plus other details specific to the type of incident you report. There is also a details field when you can provide whatever additional information in narrative form that you feel is important. The structured format of the form allows us to compile reports and collect and populate the database in a complete and consistent way.
No, but it is the preferred method. It allows us to systematically collect the right information. You can also use email reports at thecssn dot org.
Of course, we welcome all input in support of an incident report. You can send photos, etc. to us by email. If your report involves piracy or attempted piracy at sea, we will ask you for a GPS coordinate or chart plotter track so we can accurately and properly communicate the location of the incident.
An ALERT! is a report or news item that we distribute to subscribers by email and through our social media channels. ALERTS! include information about safety and security incidents as they occur or news of general interest to the cruising community concerning a safety or security matter.
Both News items and Incident reports inform readers of items of interest and are distributed using different formats to our readers via our website, as email ALERTS!, or on social media via the CSSN Facebook and CSSN X (Twitter) pages. The 5 most recent News items and the 5 most recent Incident reports are found separately on the CSSN Homepage. News items can be point-in- time specific or situational and are usually general in nature. They describe items of general interest related to safety and security but are not actual incident reports. They necessarily vary considerably in content and can describe things as diverse as temporary navigation hazards, product safety recalls and travel warnings issued by various governments. Sources are diverse and usually not victims. They are sometimes used to alert readers when we make an update to a previously published Incident report or announce a new feature on our website. You can find News item posts on the Homepage, in the combined News and Reports tab, in the monthly archives or by utilizing the site keyword search feature. Incident reports are submitted to CSSN by victims, usually by means of our structured online Report Incident form. They generally describe a specific crime against a specific yacht(s) or cruiser. They also sometimes describe suspicious activity related to piracy. All reports are received, reviewed, and vetted in a structured manner (see the remaining FAQ list for details). Incident reports describe the full spectrum of activity and crimes against yachts, from simple vandalism to the more serious and complex crimes such as piracy or assault. We began characterizing the source of Incident reports as 1st, 2nd or 3rd hand in 2015. Full details of each incident are displayed in our Interactive Maps and are retained in our permanent database, where they can be easily accessed/sorted by all for risk assessment purposes. You can find the Incident Reports posts and News items on the Homepage, in the combined News and Reports tab, in the monthly archives or by utilizing the site keyword search feature. You can also see all CSSN incident reports if you subscribe to our data inside the Noforeignland website or app.
We balance detail with time and space. Our objective is to provide sufficient factual detail for users to understand what occurred with a desire to keep it brief. We are cruisers, with cruising and sailing to enjoy, too!
Your report helps other cruisers. We review the information you provide and then ask follow up questions, if necessary. We then create and publish a report, summarizing the event and sharing it with other cruisers via our alerts and our social media channels (Facebook, X (Twitter). We also send you a personal link for the report. Your report is widely distributed to other cruisers who subscribe (free) to our email Alertsdor follow us on social media. Incident reports feed our website /database and are displayed on the relevant Zoom-Tap Know and Go Maps. All CSSN incident reports are shared with Information Sharing Partner Noforeignland, simply subscribe to CSSN data inside their website and/or app. All in the spirit of Know Before You Go!
We ask follow up and clarifying questions (usually) by email, to those who submit reports and sometimes others who may have knowledge of the event as well. Vetting is done to ensure our reports are as accurate and complete as we can reasonably ensure. First hand reports are our gold standard, but when they are not available, we will work with others to complete a “best available” report, always identified as either second or third hand as the situation dictates. We classify as first hand any report that is made by a deceased victim’s family member or their appointed representative.
For simple updates just send us an email. We will update our reports as new information becomes available (for example when a navigation hazard is corrected or removed, or criminals are apprehended/prosecuted).
We rely on self-reporting, so it is most often the basic viewpoint and integrity of the victims themselves that is manifest in our reports. We may also contact police or other involved officials, or other sources with knowledge of the event. For more complex or violent incidents the vetting process can take a few days as victims recover and important details are clarified and confirmed. We don’t publish a report until we are satisfied that it is as complete and correct as we can reasonably make it. We will always update a report if new or additional information becomes available. We upgrade incident reports from second/third hand to first hand when victims contact us directly to confirm and help us complete an updated report. When the situation indicates we ask hard questions during the vetting process, but we always maintain the privacy preferences of the victims who make firsthand reports. Some details don’t need to be shared, it is always the victims’ choice. Our editorial goal is to share relevant and useful information while protecting the privacy of the victims, to help others understand the event. We want each captain and crew to evaluate their own circumstances and prepare as they best deem appropriate. We recognize that “one size does not fit all” in the risk assessment and planning arena. We are not in the business of telling cruisers what to do, or not to do, or where to go or not go. Know Before You Go! is our tagline.
If you believe there is an error in a report (or anywhere on our site) please contact us immediately by email. We want our reports to be complete and accurate. We will update our reports as required, we welcome and appreciate your help.
We respect and protect everyone’s privacy–those who are victims, and those who make reports. We collect names, emails, and boat names during the vetting process, but they are never disclosed to anyone. We use this information to communicate with those who report to us and internally to ensure that reports are not duplicated. We never share your email address or any identifying details with anyone, ever. The CSSN website uses the HTTPS protocol to better protect our data, and yours. We also strive to be in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union.
Great idea! Sadly such ratios are either misleading or not possible to calculate at this time. Total local country population is somewhat useful for land based local crime to population statistics. Using total country population to calculate crime rates against yachts (or even transient land tourists) is very misleading, it’s mixing apples and oranges. There is no relationship between the size of the local population and the number of visiting yachts, visiting tourists, or even local yachts. Most importantly, there is no data available for the number of cruising boats, number of cruisers, by country, by anchorage or by time frame from any source in any of the 38 countries CSSN covers. Therefore, ratios of yacht crime relative to the number of visiting yachts in a location is impossible to calculate. It’s simply just not possible to calculate a valid and actionable ratio that would help cruisers assess risk. Crime happens where those with criminal intent believe they can operate with little or no concern about detection, apprehension or prosecution. CSSN continuously searches for systematically collected data suitable for calculating helpful ratios, but at this time there are none. If anyone has a source for such information please contact us. What every cruiser can and should do is make a timely first-hand report to CSSN if they are a victim, and encourage and support others to do so. It’s the best information available, and it’s our individual and collective responsibility to make it as accurate and complete as possible.
