It seems there's been a spate of break-ins and burglaries on yachts recently. Regardless of the hype, it brings to light a point that bears consideration and discussion.

While captains and crew on luxury yachts like to think local police and security are responsible for preventing this from happening, at the end of the day one simple truth remains: if a burglar wants to get onto and into your boat badly enough he will. So, what do you do?

Simple: you comply.

You do what the intruder says, give him what he's looking for and facilitate his exit as quickly and violence-free as possible. Then you call the police, report the crime and file a claim with your insurance company.

While there may be times when physical confrontation is unavoidable, the best thing you can do is avoid confrontation if at all possible.

There may be some who disagree with this strategy, but I believe wholeheartedly that if you are surprised by an armed intruder, the intruder has the upper hand and you -- as a victim -- are in a more vulnerable position, which means that if something goes bad, you will probably get the worst of it.

As one who has been in a position of facing an armed person on more than one occasion I can tell you one thing: Unless you have the proper training to respond to violence with violence with a reasonable expectation that you will prevail, you are better off avoiding confrontation, complying and walking away.

All it takes is one wrong move with a drugged-up crackhead to ruin your day, your job, your career and possibly your life. So comply and let the police and insurance companies do what they are paid to do.

And if you're worried about losing your stuff, consider this: the yacht’s insurance policy has an allowance for theft of personal belongings – yours, the guests’ or the owners’. Read your policy for specifics. And I would be willing to bet that a vast majority of yacht owners would much rather deal with a burgled boat than with the serious injury or death of a crew member who died protecting items whose loss are covered by insurance.

Boats have security plans, watchkeepers, cameras, etc., and routinely dock in marinas with patrols, all of which can give owners and crew a false sense of security. It’s this false sense of security that’s the problem. While we may think marina security guards are paid to prevent crime, the reality is they are paid to do nothing more than be present in the hopes that their presence will deter would-be criminals. If you think they’ll risk their lives for yours, you are sadly mistaken.

Owners and crew take measures to prevent their boats from burning and sinking; and the No. 1 goal in both of those situations is preservation of human life. So, too, should be the goal when dealing with armed intruders.

When boats burn or sink, owners have insurance to help cover their losses. When boats are burgled, insurance can help with those losses as well.

If you avoid confrontation with an armed intruder there is a higher probability that you will be able to do three things: 1. continue breathing; 2. file an insurance claim and recoup some or all of your losses; and 3. assist law enforcement with possibly apprehending the thief. These are three things that would be difficult to do if you were dead. 

There is nothing in or on a yacht that is more valuable than your life or the lives of your fellow crew, the owners or your guests – a point that is lost on an intruder whose only goal is to board your boat and take your stuff.

No marina is 100 percent safe and no security system is 100 percent effective, so if you find yourself in a position in which you are forced to deal with an armed intruder, do everything you can to stay alive, and let the insurance company worry about paying for stuff, which is exactly what they are paid to do.