Captain Jack Sparrow may have been delightfully entertaining, but his modern day colleagues are anything but. While no one likes having to think about the darker side of human nature while enjoying their favorite past time, it would be fool hardy not to secure your boat and ensure the safety of your fellow crew members. Whether your cruising the south seas, anchored in the north channel, or simply tied up at your home dock, there are some simple steps you can take to protect your boating bliss.

Keep a spotlight or flash camera down below. If you awaken to the sounds of footsteps on your deck, opening a small porthole or hatch should give you enough room to temporarily blind some fool wandering around your deck. If your really lucky, it may actually startle them enough to trip over the life lines for a little midnight dip.

A makeshift alarm system can be fashioned in the event your anchored in a location where your not real comfortable with the locals. Trip wires with noise makers attached to them, or even some clanging metal objects attached to life lines could cause enough of a ruckus to waken yourself, and some neighbors. Hopefully sending unwanted visitors swimming for shore.

Pepper spray, mace and even firearms (if your the James Bond type) are also potential deterrents. Be sure to check the local laws and regulations for all these items in any location you plan on traveling.

Having two different padlocks on your companionway entrance means twice as many locks to break or pick, and twice as much time for a thief to accomplish their nefarious mission.

Be sure to advertise, either verbally to boating neighbors, or with a written sign/sticker on the boat about all the alarms you have installed. Even if you don't have alarms installed, it's not a bad idea to give the potential thief something to think about.

Boats are full of all kinds of compartments, and hard to reach places. Just ask anyone who's tried to fix boats, or run wiring through some of those spots. These would be great places to hide some of those really valuable items, that are impossible to replace.

With a few simple steps, and some creative thinking, it's not that hard to make your boat truly safe. Just remember if those burglars were all that bright, they wouldn't be burglars in the first place.