WARNINGS

ANCIENT:

What the sage poets taught by th’ heavenly muse

Storied of old in high immortal verse

Of dire chimeras and enchanted isles

And rifted rocks whose entrance leads to Hell—

For such there are, but unbelief is blind.

—John Milton, Comus, 1634

AND MODERN:

CAUTION: Just to be aware of all facets of cruising the high seas these days; a soft warning to the thoughtful skipper on the possibility of hijacking should be in order here. The U.S. Coast Guard advises owners of yachts cruising in the Bahamas and Caribbean to be very careful about taking on hitchhikers… Even a rescue at sea should be approached with caution, and a “Float Plan” should be filed with someone who could report to the proper authority if an “arrival” were overdue.

Yachtsman’s Guide to the Greater Antilles, 1979