cssn - The Caribbean Safety and Security Net

2146 – Theft in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – St. Vincent – Wallilabou

Incident Date: 2017-05-24 at 05:00

Event Type: Theft

Stolen Items: Dinghy

Secured: Not Locked

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: At first light a boatboy arrived with the yachts dinghy, the owners had not yet realized it was missing. The boatboy asked for a “security fee” for the safe return of the dinghy and a modest fee was paid. The owners had not locked the dinghy to the yacht, but did not feel it had gone adrift. They now lock the dinghy overnight.

May 24, 2017

2143 – Theft in Cayman Islands (UK) – Grand Cayman – Lobster Pot Area

Incident Date: 2017-05-12 at 19:00

Event Type: Theft

Stolen Items: Dinghy and outboard

Secured: Not Locked

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: For three weeks a yacht's dinghy/outboard was pulled ashore well above the tide line at 6PM and left unlocked in downtown George Town while the owners went to the weekly happy hour nearby. When they returned at 8PM the dinghy/outboard had been stolen. A police report was filed by phone. Owners advise locking to the Lobster Pot dive center dock instead.

May 12, 2017

2141 – Vandalism in Dominican Republic – Luperon

Incident Date: 2017-04-28 at 14:00

Event Type: Vandalism

Stolen Items: None

Secured: N/A

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: A yacht was tied to a mooring in Luperon Bay for a few hours before the owner went ashore. Vandals released the yacht, and removed all lines from it and the mooring itself during daylight hours. The yacht was seen adrift, an emercency VHF call was made and the yacht was recovered undamaged . No police report was made.

April 28, 2017

2140 – Theft in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Canouan – Charlestown Bay (South House)

Incident Date: 2017-04-27 at 03:00

Event Type: Theft

Stolen Items: Cash, cellphones

Secured: Not Locked

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: Overnight while the catamaran owners slept below, a thief boarded and then entered the salon through an unlocked deck hatch. The thief stole cash and cellphones and then exited through the hatch. A police report was made the next day.

CSSN NOTE: This is the 4th event of this type reported to CSSN at this location in the last 6 weeks CSSN NOTE: updated to FIRSTHAND report 2 May 2017

April 27, 2017

2159 – Theft in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Union – Clifton Harbor

Incident Date: 2017-04-25 at 15:00

Event Type: Theft

Stolen Items: 55ft sailing yacht- monohull

Secured: Locked

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: In late April 2017 between the daylight hours of 1400 and 1715, a 55 ft. monohull sailing yacht moored in Clifton Harbor was stolen. The owner and crew were nearby but did not witness the actual theft. They notified SVG authorities (marine park, police and coast guard) and the owner began a localized search by boat which carried on into the darkness, but without result.

Early the next morning the SVG police insisted on further reports and after 3-4 hours of doing such the owner hired a pilot and personally conducted an aerial search. The boat was located at Diamond Island, a small rock islet between Grenada and Carriacou. An open boat was seen rapidly leaving the scene to the south. Grenada Coast Guard was notified but took no immediate action. The pilot returned the owner to Union and he travelled by local boat to Carriacou where he contracted with another local boat to inspect and retrieve the yacht which had been damaged, arriving at the foundering yacht by early afternoon.

The thieves had damaged a hatch breaking into the yacht and stole many things including an outboard, dive gear, life jackets, fuel jugs, fenders, handheld VHF, etc. The yacht sustained significant damage to its rudder and hull having been left to ground. After emergency repairs and pumping the water out, the owner took the yacht to Carriacou under escort and after additional inspections and temporary repairs to Grenada for haulout and repairs , which have recently been completed.

Neither the SVG officials (where the yacht was stolen) nor the Grenada officials (where the yacht was found) took any evidence from the scene and after many months, and many requests, no SVG police report has been made available to the victim.

April 25, 2017

2142 – Piracy in Honduras – Puerto Cortes Naval Base Yard

Incident Date: 2017-04-13 at 08:00

Event Type: Piracy

Stolen Items: VHF, SSB. EPIRB, flares, outboard engine, binoculars, smartphones, tools,security items, clothing, suitcases, toiletries and many more small items

Secured: Not Locked

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: A sailing vessel departed the Rio Dulce, Guatemala intending to visit Utila, Honduras. They were motor sailing in light winds and at 8:00 AM, they were about 10 miles off the coast and were boarded by pirates. 4 men boarded (2 armed with handguns) and 1 remained in the open fishing boat. ||The pirates were very aggressive, and fired their guns several times very close to the heads of the crew to ensure compliance. The crew spoke French and pretended not to "understand" while the boat was ransacked for about 1 hour. ||The pirates took everything they could, while taking no precautions to conceal their identities. Once satisfied with their haul they departed in the direction of the Honduran coast. ||There were no injuries to the crew. The yacht was able to make radio contact with the Puerto Cortes naval base and routed there to make reports to the Coast Guard, Police and Port Captain.

April 13, 2017

2137 – Assault in Guatemala – Bahia de Graciosa

Incident Date: 2017-04-10 at 22:30

Event Type: Assault

Stolen Items: Yamaha 4HP – 4 stroke outboard

Secured: Not Locked

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: A yacht with 2 persons onboard was anchored alone in Graciosa Bay. On the second night they were awakened by a noise around 10:30 PM. The captain went to the cockpit and discovered a man was removing his 4HP-4 Stroke outboard from the rail mount, ( it was not locked) .

A scuffle ensued, and the captain ended up in the water next to the thief’s boat. The thief had a handgun tucked into the front waistband of his pants, but did not remove it. He attempted to hold the captain’s head underwater but was unsuccessful. The captain sustained minor injuries.

After the thief departed the yacht upped anchor and moved about 5 miles to Tres Puntas where 5 other cruising boats were anchored, but none were monitoring VHF. A report was made to the police, port captian and on the NW Caribbean SSB net the next day.

April 10, 2017

2138 – Theft in Puerto Rico (US) – Vieques – Isabel Segunda

Incident Date: 2017-04-08 at 19:30

Event Type: Theft

Stolen Items: 15hp Yamaha Outboard

Secured: Locked

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: Between 6-8 PM while the owners were onboard, a yacht moored in Isabel Segunda had the cable/locks to their in-the-water and locked 10 ft. RIB/15 HP Yamaha outboard cut, and the outboard was stolen. The owners did not hear any disturbance and made a report to the police the next morning, but were refused a copy of the written report.

CSSN NOTE: This is the sixth report of theft from Vieques in 2017, and the first this year from Isabel Segunda. The thieves operating in Vieques are well prepared and seem beyond the interest or reach of authorities there. If you choose to visit Vieques, best practices are called for, LIFT and LOCK (securely) dinghies when not in use.

April 8, 2017

2144 – Theft in Guadeloupe (France) – Marie Galante – Grand Bourg

Incident Date: 2017-04-08 at 02:00

Event Type: Theft

Stolen Items: dinghy and outboard

Secured: Not Locked

Source Type: 2nd Hand Report

Incident Details: Overnight a dinghy that was secured with 2 lines, but not locked, was stolen from a yacht anchored outside Grand Bourg. The dinghy was recovered the next day minus the outboard and badly damaged.

April 8, 2017

2136 – Robbery in Honduras – Guanaja – Graham’s Place

Incident Date: 2017-04-06 at 20:00

Event Type: Robbery

Stolen Items: Cash, iPads, cellphone, electronics, cameras, monitors, fuel tank, propane cylinder, plus more

Secured: Does not apply

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: A yacht with 2 persons onboard anchored off Graham's Place around 4PM , and visited the palapa ashore. They met a man who identified himself by name and then asked several questions about thier planned stay, and number of persons on board.||At 8 PM they were boarded by 4 armed men (3 – 9mm handguns, 1 rifle) ,wearing military style pants, 2 hooded, and all wearing ranger type boots. One of the men was the man they had met earlier at the palapa. The men demanded all things of value and threatened to kill the crew if they made any noise or resisited. The captain/crew complied, and the men departed with cash, electronics, iPads, cameras, cellphone, a gas tank, and a propane cylinder after threatening to return if any report was made.||A detailed report was made to the police and the port captain.

April 6, 2017

Author: cssn Archives