Hmmm. Time to bring back letters of marque and reprisal?
The eastern Caribbean is not too bad and generally safe but Venezuela, since Chavez, is a mess and has become very dangerous. You used to stay about 10 NM off the coast, catching the wind and curent, going down to Isla Margurita and hug the coast and hope you got some catabaric winds off the mountains of eastern Venezuela going back to Trinidad. (with your yacht full of Cchilean wine and Venezuelan rum!) Those days are gone, at least for a while.
Bruno had spent some time in Trinidad visiting and I think he pulled his boat and did a bottom job at Peakes. I met him a few times. He seemed like a nice guy and his killing shocked the yachting community.
A weapon is a big problem to deal with in the eastern Caribbean but you MUST go armed when you are near the coast of Venezuela or travel in a flotilla, a BIG flotilla.