Incident Date: 2016-12-23 at 02:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: hard dinghy (no outboard)
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 2nd Hand Report
Incident Details: An unlocked hard dinghy (no outboard) was stolen overnight from a yacht. Color is red with green interior. It is not known if a police report was made, no further details are available.
Incident Date: 2016-12-22 at 17:00
Event Type: Vandalism
Stolen Items: None
Secured: N/A
Source Type: 2nd Hand Report
Incident Details: A local boat boy in a speedboat, very drunk, circled moored yachts at speed, finally deliberately ramming a yacht and putting a hole in its side. The boat boy was later apprehended by police and will be charged.
Incident Date: 2016-12-21 at 01:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: 14ft. panga with 2S/30HP Suzuki
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: Unknown Hand Report
Incident Details: In Bahia Honda, an unlocked 14ft panga with a 30 HP/2S Suzuki was stolen by a swimmer from the canal overnight. A video surveillance camera captured the theft on tape, but it was not sufficient to make an ID of the thief who seemed to be aware of the camera.
Incident Date: 2016-12-21 at 02:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: 15 HP/2S Yamaha outboard
Secured: Unknown
Source Type: 2nd Hand Report
Incident Details: An outboard engine (15HP/2S Yamaha) was stolen from a cayuco, no further details available
Incident Date: 2016-12-20 at 10:00
Event Type: Piracy
Stolen Items: all extra diesel stored in containers, mobile phones, money, clothes, food, fishing equipement, navigation aids, personal effects, various sailing equipement
Secured: N/A
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A yacht owner and friend were sailing a 12m monohull from Bocas del Toro, Panama to Belize. Passing 30-40 miles off the shallow coast of Nicaragua, it had been a difficult and tiring trip so they decided to make a rest stop in the uninhabited Media Luna Cays. At 10 AM while underway they were approached at high speed by 2 pangas (longboats with outboards), each with 4 men onboard. They seemed friendly initially and asked for a drink, and were given a few beers. Then suddenly many more boats appeared over the horizon, making thirteen in all, and the intentions of the assembled group became clear. They overwhelmed the yacht, and were raucous and menacing while their visible knives remain sheathed. They attempted to “guide” the boat onto the reef where 2 other wrecked boats were visible. When the yacht veered away they became more aggressive and began to ram into the side of the yacht, causing damage to the hull and port lights. The crew managed to keep sailing as they were boarded by 25-30 men, with another 30 or so men in the remaining pangas. A larger boat with a cabin and radio antenna carried the leader. He boarded and demanded to search the boat for cocaine. The crew negotiated a truce of sorts with the leader and allowed him (only) to search below. Some of the others forced their way below anyway, and along with the many pirates topsides helped themselves to fuel, food, cash, cellphones, fishing gear, clothing, marine electronics and anything they could remove. The crew protested when they took gear necessary to their continued travel and in a few cases it was reluctantly returned by the leader. The leader seemed proud of his control over his assistants and eventually forced them up and off the yacht. He asked for a reward for keeping his word, and pointed to a small Wi-Fi speaker, which he was given. The pirate leader and crew thanked each other and shook hands. The pirates then departed and the crew continued onto Belize, where they made a report to the Cucumber Beach Marina on arrival. They were relieved the pirates had remained nonviolent, after not finding the cocaine that they had apparently expected to commandeer. A courtesy report to the regional British High Commission (consulate) has been made.
Incident Date: 2016-12-17 at 19:00
Event Type: Burglary
Stolen Items: Cash, electronics (tablets, phones), fishing gear, knives, flashlight, clothes
Secured: Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A family of experienced bareboat charterers anchored their monohull in Wallilabou, SVG and went ashore for dinner at the Anchorage Hotel Restaurant. They were aware and concerned about the brutal assault/murder of a German charterer and the subsequent lack of any arrest/prosecution in that bay in March 2016. They reviewed the 2015/2016 17th edition cruise guide provided by their charter company, and believed that the author's comment ""The bay has had a reputation for occasional thievery, but it is hoped that a new security system, including video cameras monitored by the coast guard and security guards with flashlights, will put paid to that when anchored off the Wallilabou Anchorage Hotel."" They assumed the security system had been put in place. ||They enjoyed dinner ashore and had a full view of the boat from the restaurant. At 8PM when they returned to the boat, however, they discovered that the locked yacht had been burgled. A forward hatch had been damaged to gain entry. The thieves had thoroughly searched/ransacked all the cabins, lockers and luggage. They found and stole all the hidden cash and personal electronics. They also stole fishing gear, clothing, knives and flashlights. ||The victims contacted the restaurant, who called the police. Three officers arrived in casual clothes and looked around. They took no notes, pictures or any forensic evidence whatsoever, but claimed they would investigate. The victims provided a list of the stolen items and a signed written statement. The officers promised to send the written declaration to the headquarters of the criminal police department in the capital city of Kingstown. They advised that the only way for the victims to get any written confirmation of this case would require the victims to personally visit Kingstown police HQ. ||The victims arranged transportation to Kingstown police HQ the next day. There the officers immediately tried to send them away, but the victims insisted and they took their statement (again) in exchange for a $100 ECD fee. Despite repeated requests the police refused to provide a receipt for this payment. They also refused to provide any written confirmation of receipt of the report. The victims used a cell phone to take a picture of their written statement, and a letter they had written to the SVG Chief of Police. The victims were told that an official written report could be picked up in a couple of weeks. Because they planned to have returned to Europe in that timeframe the victims asked that the formal report be sent by email, which the police promised to do. The victims have had NO contact from SVG police or any SVG officials, despite many repeated requests and attempts to contact the responsible persons both by email and telephone. ||CSSN NOTE: Over a year later, the victims decided it was important to tell their story. The business owners and others had implored them NOT to make any public report, and the police had ignored their report and failed to do anything but take their $100 ECD. They did not observe any patrols or video surveillance, those too an empty promise. CSSN has now updated our database to include this report.||Sadly, actions to suppress reporting of crimes is too common by those with economic interests, leaving the larger cruising community unaware and at increased risk. The victims in this case want others to know not only about the misleading information presented in the cruise guide, and the self-serving pleas of the local business interests to not make any information public, but also the disregard of the police and other officials to take any action, including simply providing the paid for and promised written report. ||Timely and complete reports are easy to make, use the CSSN online reporting form. Reporting – it's everyone's responsibility. Take a few minutes to review a recently published article published in Caribbean Compass on this important topic.
Incident Date: 2016-12-16 at 23:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: 10′ Caribe dinghy, 9.8 HP Nissan outboard, fuel tank, etc.
Secured: Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A yacht anchored just north of the Canaries fishing village discovered their in-the-water but cable locked dinghy/outboard had been stolen overnight. The thieves apparently used a crow bar to pry the cable/lock eye attachment from the dingy transom. The theft was reported to the police and to Soufriere Marine Management Area (SMMA) officials.
Incident Date: 2016-12-14 at 23:45
Event Type: Vandalism
Stolen Items: None
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: At 11:45 PM a yacht (B2) that was moored stern to in the Bridgetown Careenage inner lagoon was vandalized. A young man had engaged the crew on the adjacent boat (B1) and had been provided with some food. The young man then became abusive and, at some point, hauled the stern lines and jumped on to the transom (B2) where he held on to and seriously bent the stainless steel bimini frame. The crew was roused by the commotion, came on deck and ejected the boarder. The neighboring boat (B1) dialed 911 and the police arrived 10 or 15 minutes later. They apprehended the young man some way off and led him away. The officer informed the crews that the young man was unknown to him (unlike the other vagrants in the area), that he seemed to be mentally unstable and would be dealt with accordingly. He advised the crews not to engage with or support the local vagrants.
Incident Date: 2016-12-04 at 01:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: Dingy bag with safety items, flashlight, life jackets, whistle, anchor and dive knife
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: Overnight a dinghy bag containing safety equipment (flashlight, life jackets, whistle, anchor and dive knife) was stolen from an in the water, but locked to the yacht dinghy. No report to local authorities was made.
Incident Date: 2016-12-04 at 17:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: 2 fishing rods
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: After 2 nights moored in Marigot's inner bay on a Capella mooring, on the third day the crew went ashore for dinner. Between 4-7pm both fishing rods were stolen from the rod holders on either side of the cockpit. There was no evidence that the thief boarded the yacht. The marina office and police were advised. The victims and CSSN suggest removing all unsecured items of value from the deck/cockpit, and having a record of serial numbers/photos stored in a secure way/place (that cannot be stolen from the yacht) for purposes of investigation and proof of ownership should a theft occur. CSSN NOTE: This is the 2nd theft reported to CSSN within the last month at this location, and the 5th this year. Users can type "Marigot St Lucia" in the search box on any CSSN website page to get a quick summary/links, or utilize the islands reports tab (Northern Windwards) and sort on the location column for easily reviewed details.
