Author: cssn Archives

2078 – Burglary in Bonaire – Bonaire Boat Yard


Incident Date: 2016-09-01 at 02:00

Event Type: Burglary

Stolen Items: 32″ flat screen TV, an external hard drive, microwave oven, handheld VHF, RAM mike, Radar/GPS, 2 pairs of marine binoculars, toolbox and full set of tools, voltmeter, fire extinguishers, folding police knife, clothing, decorative pillows, dive bag, dive lights and masks, fins and snorkels, flashlights, clocks, and rum.

Secured: Locked

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: A yacht was stored in the boatyard (locked) for a year. Around September 1st, the boat yard manager informed the owners by email that there had been a break-in on their boat. The thieves may have come from the water side since the road-side gate is usually locked. It probably required several trips to gather/remove all the items. A police report was made.

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2065 – Robbery in Trinidad and Tobago – Tobago – Buccoo Bay


Incident Date: 2016-08-21 at 20:00

Event Type: Robbery

Stolen Items: Two mobile phones and cash

Secured: Does not apply

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: At approximatley 9:45 PM four adult family members were returning from the weekly Sunday school dancing event when they were accosted by 2 young men (about 20 years old) with machetes as they were preparing to launch their beached dinghy which had been locked to a tree near the carpark. The men demanded cash and grabbed one of the bags that had been put into the dinghy. The captain grabbed a paddle and the group started yelling loudly and the men fled into the woods. The police were summoned by security at the festival location and a full report was made.

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2064 – Burglary in Grenada – Grenada – St. George’s – Port Louis Marina


Incident Date: 2016-08-17 at 10:00

Event Type: Burglary

Stolen Items: Two bags containing passport, wallet with identification as well as about US$300 in cash.

Secured: Locked

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: The sesame-type combination padlock on the salon door was jimmied or leveraged apart while the owners and crew were off the boat during the day. Bags were stolen from inside and the lock was put back in place. The owners thought the lock had failed (they had to use a slightly different combination to get it open) due to salt water corrosion, so they discarded and replaced it. The owners were not aware of the theft at the time it occurred but became aware of the theft when a local woman who found some of the non-cash items returned them a few days later. A report was made to the marina and police.

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2063 – Attempted Piracy in Trinidad and Tobago – Location – Listed – Trinidad and Tobago


Incident Date: 2016-08-02 at 06:30

Event Type: Attempted Piracy

Stolen Items: None

Secured: N/A

Source Type: 1st Hand Report

Incident Details: Three yachts left Grenada in the afternoon, bound for Trinidad. A float plan was filed with TTCG/NPR and Jesse James. The reporting captain attempted to call North Post Radio and Trinidad Coastguard on two separate occasions on VHF 16 during the voyage but did not get a response to either call. The first call was to NPR at approximately 1600, from a position about 5 miles south of the Grenada coast. The second call was to TTCG between midnight and 0100, about 3 miles directly east of the Hibiscus platform. The captain is confident his radio was working properly, he made contact with the other yachts (VHF 71) and also with the marina on arrival (VHF 16 and 72). During the passage he was able to listen to North Post Radio and heard them monitoring and conversing with other vessels.

After passing 3 miles east of the platform the yacht continued due south. The next morning (August 2) at approx. 0630, his yacht was motor sailing at about 3 knots and located 10 nm northeast of Boca Monos. The 2 other yachts, Buddy Boat 1 (BB1) and Buddy Boat 2 (BB2), were about 1 nm further east (BB1) and 2 nm further south (BB2). The yacht was approached by a white pirogue with 3 men onboard. The men in the pirogue spoke English and there were no fishing nets or any fishing gear in the pirogue. The yacht captain went to his starboard rail with his handheld VHF and in full view of the pirogue called the nearest buddy boat (BB1) to tell them what was happening. He describes the situation:

– The general attitude of the two men who spoke was aggressive and angry. With much shouting and waving of arms in the general direction of Trinidad – it seemed to me that they were telling me to slow down and not go any further ….the noise level was high since this was happening as they approached with their engine and our engine noise making communication indistinct and hard to make out initially. There was no doubt in my mind that this was not a friendly encounter.
– The pirogue pulled up alongside on our starboard side, and tried to get as close to my boat as was feasible. Two men were standing and one tried to hold on to the hull of my boat but the sea state was too rough and they pulled away about 1 meter.
– One of the men shouted across to us in an aggressive manner – asking what “sea area are we in?” – I replied that we were off the coast of Trinidad
– He then shouted across, pointing ahead…”what is that Island..?” – I replied Trinidad
– The second man then shouted across “what is that …” while gesticulating at the passage ahead …I took it to mean that they were trying to point out the Boca – I replied Boca Monos
– I updated BB1 on the situation, using my handheld VHF. This seemed to increase the agitation of the men in the pirogue.
– BB1 immediately turned directly towards us.
– Our VHF communication would have been audible to the men in the pirogue. They were obviously annoyed that I was speaking to someone. They were not asking directions, the conversation was heated; aggressive; menacing. There was absolutely no doubt that the “directions” were a ruse, we were being sized up.
– The men had a conversation amongst themselves and pulled away at high speed. They went eastwards in the general direction of BB1.
– They did not make any further approach to any of our vessels.
– We updated BB1 and BB2 and all 3 vessels continued towards Boca Monos.
– We did not attempt further calls to the coast guard at that time.

All three yachts arrived safely in Chaguaramas later that morning. The captain contacted Jesse James, who arranged and attended a meeting the next day with the TTCG Fleet Commander, where an official report was made. Based on details described by the reporting captain, TTCG indicated that the pirogue was likely from Trinidad. Follow up with Jesse James indicates that TTCG/NPR has assured him that they will continue to patrol the area and try to improve their communications.

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2062 – Assault in Grenada – Grenada – Hog Island


Incident Date: 2016-07-30 at 17:00

Event Type: Assault

Stolen Items: None

Secured: N/A

Source Type: 2nd Hand Report

Incident Details: At about 1700 a male cruiser left his wife aboard and took his dog by dinghy for a walk on the east end of Hog Island. After a short while he was met by 3 english speaking men and was greeted in a friendly manner, he continued the walk. After about 20 minutes he began his return to the dinghy and encountered a family of 5, who played with the dog for a few minutes. Continuing the walk, and almost back to the dinghy he encountered the same 3 men, who invited him to join them. When the cruiser did so, one of the men, the Primary Perpetrator, (PP) produced a small handgun, pointed it at him, and demanded that the cruiser dinghy them out to the yacht, stating that the cruiser, the family of 5, and the dog would all be killed if the cruiser refused, and that the 3 would then go to the vessel (where the cruiser's wife had remained). ||At approximately 1800, the cruiser transported 2 of the perpetrators, (PP) and a 2nd Perpetrator, (2P) to the anchored yacht, where the PP demanded that the cruising couple haul anchor and provide transport to Puerto Rico. The yacht's engine had not functioned for several weeks, but PP demanded that the couple sail out of the bay and then to Puerto Rico. It was clear neither perpetrator had skills as a mariner. The couple complied, but the yacht became grounded while leaving the bay and was unable to proceed. The PP assaulted both the husband and wife as well as his accomplice, while showing signs of instability, sometimes mumbling and shouting incoherently at no one. ||At approximately 1930 the PP forced the wife and his accomplice into the dinghy, indicating that he would hold the wife hostage until the husband freed the yacht and they were able to proceed to Puerto Rico. The dinghy was then taken to the mainland of Grenada, landing in the area of Fort Jeudy (approx. 1.5 miles away). PP forced the wife and his accomplice to proceed to an unoccupied home with him. Over the next several hours, PP continued to assault both the wife and his accomplice (2P). ||At approximately 2330, PP forced the wife and 2P to return to the dinghy, and attempted to return to the yacht. On approach, the presence of other vessels engaged in assisting the husband with the stranded yacht discouraged PP from re-boarding and hijacking the yacht. They returned to shore, PP and 2P eventually departed, and the wife was able to return by dinghy to the yacht at about 0100, July 31. ||Those assisting the yacht were then informed of the circumstances and authorities were summoned, and the Grenada Coast Guard arrived promptly to provide assistance. They remained with the yacht overnight, while the couple received medical treatment, which is ongoing. The yacht has been refloated, but was damaged. The primary perpetrator (PP) has been identified and is being sought by the local police. ||CSSN NOTE: This report is classified as second hand, we would like to thank the close friends of the victims who provided the report on their behalf.

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2049 – Burglary in Grenada – Grenada – Mt. Hartman Bay


Incident Date: 2016-07-14 at 01:00

Event Type: Burglary

Stolen Items: Unknown

Secured: Unknown

Source Type: 2nd Hand Report

Incident Details: Details incomplete, during the past 10 days 8 unoccupied boats at a variety of locations in the anchorage were broken into. All owners absent but Coast Guard has been notified. (#2)

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2050 – Burglary in Grenada – Grenada – Mt. Hartman Bay


Incident Date: 2016-07-14 at 01:00

Event Type: Burglary

Stolen Items: Unknown

Secured: Unknown

Source Type: 2nd Hand Report

Incident Details: Details incomplete, during the past 10 days 8 unoccupied boats at a variety of locations in the anchorage were broken into. All owners absent but Coast Guard has been notified. (#3)

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2051 – Burglary in Grenada – Grenada – Mt. Hartman Bay


Incident Date: 2016-07-14 at 01:00

Event Type: Burglary

Stolen Items: Unknown

Secured: Unknown

Source Type: 2nd Hand Report

Incident Details: Details incomplete, during the past 10 days 8 unoccupied boats at a variety of locations in the anchorage were broken into. All owners absent but Coast Guard has been notified. (#4)

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2052 – Burglary in Grenada – Grenada – Mt. Hartman Bay


Incident Date: 2016-07-14 at 01:00

Event Type: Burglary

Stolen Items: Unknown

Secured: Unknown

Source Type: 2nd Hand Report

Incident Details: Details incomplete, during the past 10 days 8 unoccupied boats at a variety of locations in the anchorage were broken into. All owners absent but Coast Guard has been notified. (#5)

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