USVI-On-Line

Just a reminder to secure your belongings before you enter the water. According to the Tradewinds, thieves hit Trunk and Cinnamon last week. Sometimes
we forget when we're in paradise...but what a vacation killer to have your backpacks and beachbags stolen. We were in STJ last week and had a great time. I did,however,see unattended bags while we were there...Yikes!!

I am wondering what most folks usually do to secure your belongings while at the beach. Do any of you have specific recommendations for dry packs that you use to carry things while snorkeling?

Thanks!

We have everything of value with us as we snorkel. (Money, Keys, Camera, etc..) We use a small Otter box for our money and IDs. We take nothing else of value. The most that could be stolen is our bag, towels, etc...

However, I usually try to keep an eye on our things if possible.

Good news!

VINP and VIPD Nab Thieves at Trunk Bay Beach
Written by Jaime Elliott
Tuesday, 06 March 2012 14:07

After witnesses reported seeing three men walk into the brush near Trunk Bay beach with backpacks that had been left near empty beach chairs on Monday, February 27, V.I. National Park Rangers leapt into action.

“It was our Visitor Use Assistant, who just came back to work after being off for medical reasons,” said VINP Superintendent Mark Hardgrove. “He took after them and held one of them until V.I. Police Department officers arrived. A VIPD officer caught the other man.”

While a VINP employee detained the first suspect, V.I. Police Department officers patrolled the beach and nabbed the second suspect, who was identified by witnesses and VINP rangers, according to Hardgrove.

Officials recovered one backpack and several cell phones, Hardgrove added.

The two men, both from St. Thomas, were advised of their rights before V.I. Superior Court Magistrate Judge Alan Smith on Tuesday, February 28. The third man seen by witnesses stealing items from the beach remained at large as of press time.

Eighteen-year-old Corey Davner of Contant, St. Thomas, and Christian Rojas, 21, of Silke Gade, were charged with grand larceny and aiding and abetting a larceny, according to a report in the V.I. Daily News.

The two men are accused of stealing backpacks from both Trunk and Cinnamon Bays last week, which contained digital cameras, cell phones, IDs and other documents worth a total of $800, according to the V.I. Daily News report.

Magistrate Judge Smith released Davner on a $10,000 unsecured bond and upheld the $10,000 bail for Rojas, who has a criminal record and remained in jail at the Bureau of Corrections, according to the report.

Rojas is scheduled to be arraigned on March 15 at 9 a.m. while Davner is set to be arraigned on March 22 at 9 a.m., according to the V.I. Daily News report.

IndyKato wrote:I am wondering what most folks usually do to secure your belongings while at the beach. Do any of you have specific recommendations for dry packs that you use to carry things while snorkeling?

Thanks!

After four trips the combo of the two items linked below finally allowed me to relax while out snorkeling...

I put jeep rental key, ID and credit card in an Acquapac and tie the rope onto my swimsuit and put the pouch in a swimsuit cargo pocket with a velcro flap

http://usstore.aquapac.net/explore-prod ... s-518.html

We put cameras, passports, iPhones, iPods, etc into this Pacsafe and lock it/fasten under a car seat to metal bar...

http://www.pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_r ... tail&id=18

Not 100% failsafe, but enough of a challenge to likely ward off the common thief or at least encourage him to look elsewhere.

I bought a Pacsafe before my trip last year. I love it. I either attach it to the bar under the seat of my jeep or around the base of a very sturdy tree and then place it under towels, chairs etc. I wear the key around my wrist on a cord and leave the second key at the villa just in case..... I feel very secure when in the water.

We purchased a KYSS bag online. We put the chain around two beach chairs and the cooler. If anyone
wants to grab & run, they gotta take the other stuff too. The bag also locks the zipper so no one can
do a quick unzip and help themselves. I left my ipad in the bag and felt comfortable doing so.

There was a mesh "safe" that was talked about on this forum last year or the year before. It was a wire net that enclosed a backpack size bag, secured the opening and locked to a tree or some other stationary object. Does anyone have a reference to that one?

JIM

We have found on STT that the best way is just to make friends with someone and share. Watching each other things can be the best security ever.

I've been wondering about this myself. After reading these comments, I just purchased a KYSS bag and a keymaster pouch from Aquapac

Thanks!

"There was a mesh "safe" that was talked about on this forum last year or the year before."

This is made by Pacsafe comes in 4 sizes.

I looked at the Kyss bag and only wonder what would keep someone from just slashing the bag open to get to the contents.

Lydia

I was more concerned about a "grab and go" then slashing the bag. I just don't think most beach burglars want to spend that kind of time on one bag.

We do KYSS bag too. Love it!

Wow, this is exactly as I would have expected. Every time we go to Trunk, those Park Rangers checking our passes at the parking lot look like they're ready to just jump through that window and get down to business with those terrible thugs! I'm sure the guy who caught them said, "go ahead, make my day!!"

....sorry, only a few more days left, total vacation mode, can't take anything seriously now! Rum level in the bloodstream has reached equilibrium....

Connie wrote:We have found on STT that the best way is just to make friends with someone and share. Watching each other things can be the best security ever.

That is what we do!