The police in the Marshall Islands have started nightly patrols following a spate of home invasions and theft targeting the dozens of yachts anchored in Majuro's lagoon.
The director of the Council of Non-Government Organizations who lives on a yacht, Bonny Taggart, says boats are being warned that it is dangerous to come to Majuro.
She says it is a sad that the Marshalls is now listed as a place of frequent piracy on cruising websites and cruising advisories around the world.
Another yacht owner says tens of thousands of dollars worth of gear has been stolen, boats trashed, dinghies slashed and yachts cut adrift in the night.
Americans living on yachts have stepped up appeals for help to the United States Embassy and directly to Marshall Islands President Jurelang Zedkaia.
Some yachts sail to Majuro to avoid the cyclone or typhoon season south of the equator.
