Incident Date: 2017-03-17 at 00:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: Outboard – Yamaha 5hp 4 stroke
Secured: Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A dinghy was left locked overnight at the St. Anne’s dinghy dock. The next day the owners discovered the outboard (which was locked to the dinghy) had been stolen. A report will be made to the police and on the local VHF net on 3.20.2017
Incident Date: 2017-03-17 at 19:30
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: Handmade bamboo outboard handle
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A dinghy was locked to the main dinghy dock in St Anne. Sometime during the day or evening the handmade bamboo outboard handle (tiller extension) was stolen off the outboard. Reported on the VHF net and a police report will be made.
Incident Date: 2017-03-16 at 01:10
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: 18 ft Panga with Yamaha 40 HP engine
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A panga with a well secured 40 HP outboard was lifted at a private dock. Video surveillance from shore revealed that at 1:10 AM the thief unscrewed the light bulb on the dock, and then in darkness was able to use a box knife to cut the lifting strap, (damaging it) and releasing the panga. The 40HP outboard was visibly well secured to the panga, and would have required serious tools/effort to remove. The lifted panga was not secured to the dock. A report was made to the police and port captain.||CSSN NOTE: the same night a neighbor's locked 85 HP engine was removed from its panga on a nearby dock. The thief left evidence of using tools to remove the 85 HP, but was unsuccessful in an attempt to also remove a 15HP engine.
Incident Date: 2017-03-16 at 02:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: 85 HP outboard
Secured: Locked
Source Type: 2nd Hand Report
Incident Details: 85HP outboard engine locked on a panga was removed by thieves. An unsuccessful attempt was made to also remove a 15 HP outboard.
CSSN NOTE: a lifted (but not locked) panga with a well secured 40HP was stolen the same night from an adjacent dock.
Incident Date: 2017-03-15 at 20:00
Event Type: Assault
Stolen Items: Safe, computer, jar of peanut butter
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A yacht arriving in Colombia from the San Blas islands of Panama, anchored on the south side of Baru and all crew except the captain took a car to Cartagena to complete their check-in. No other boats were nearby.
At 8 PM a dugout with outboard and 4 men came alongside and asked for a lighter. Then they quickly climbed on board, hit the captain with an oar and a gun and forced him inside the boat, where he was beaten with a machete and tied up.
They ransacked the boat and stole a computer, an entire (unopened) safe, and a jar of peanut butter, and were onboard for about 30 minutes. Injuries did not require hospital treatment, and reports were made to the police and coast guard.
Incident Date: 2017-03-15 at 15:45
Event Type: Burglary
Stolen Items: Sliding door lock set, refrigeration gauges and equipment, saltwater fishing equipment, dive bcd and regulator, beer, kitchen knives, and misc small items
Secured: Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: Owners returned to their yacht which had been stored on the hard for several months. They discovered that the entire lockset on the sliding door to their catamaran was missing, and that the boat had been ransacked. A variety of items (tools,dive gear,fishing gear, etc.) were missing and empty beer bottles littered the salon table. It is impossible to remove the lockset without first opening with the key, and there was a deep scratch near the door. This was reported to the boatyard manager who indicated the key they had was secure and that he did not believe yard personnel were involved.
CSSN NOTE: This report was received more than a year after the theft occurred. It is included in our records for completeness.
Incident Date: 2017-03-13 at 23:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: 2M Nautend dinghy with 2.3HP Honda outboard
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: An in-the-water and not locked dinghy was stolen overnight from an anchored yacht while the owners slept onboard. The theft was reported to the police, who took extensive details but did not produce a written report, indicating there would be a $100 EC fee, and a many hours wait . The owners departed.
Incident Date: 2017-03-12 at 23:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: phones, computers, money
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 2nd Hand Report
Incident Details: Thieves entered an unlocked yacht while crew was ashore for the evening. Cash, cellphones and computers were taken. A report was made to the police.
Incident Date: 2017-03-02 at 00:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: Dinghy/outboard/fuel tank, dinghy recovered
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A yacht anchored in Sun Bay had its in-the-water and unlocked dinghy stolen overnight while the crew (and dog) slept. The dinghy was recovered the next morning swamped near the beach, minus the outboard which had been securely locked with a solid bar across the transom clamps. The thieves had used a 2×4 to sever it from the dinghy and apparently left by land vehicle. The fuel tank line was cut in 2 places and the tank was taken as well. A report was made to the local police. There were 6 other boats anchored in the bay that night, and one other had its dinghy/outboard stolen as well. CSSN will publish another report when those details are received.
Incident Date: 2017-03-02 at 02:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: Dinghy and outboard
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: An in-the-water and not locked dinghy was stolen from an anchored yacht overnight. The outboard was removed and the dinghy set adrift. It ended up beating against the rocks and was found unsalvageable the next morning, the fuel tank and life jackets were recovered. A police report was made, but victims describe the police as "unhelpful", and no incident report was provided. CSSN NOTE: This is the second report for this same night in this bay, see the prior report HERE. There have been 5 thefts reported to CSSN in Esperanza so far in 2017, and police indicated there were several other (not reported to CSSN) dinghy/outboard thefts as well. Thieves operating in Esperanza are vigilant and well prepared, using large bolt cutters on well secured dinghies and trailers when required. Police there have not proven effective at controlling the persistent problem.
