Incident Date: 2025-10-31 at 01:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: Other: 2 fenders
Secured: Does not apply
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: Overnight while the owner slept onboard, 2 fenders were stolen from a yacht on a mooring between Club de Pesca and Club Nautico. The lines were cut.
Incident Date: 2025-05-28 at 23:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: Dinghy / outboard, fuel tank/hose
Secured: secured – locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: Overnight while owners slept onboard, a thief stole their in-the water and chain locked dinghy/outboard. They also boarded the anchored yacht and stole the fuel tank/hose from the cockpit. ||A report was made to the marina.
Incident Date: 2024-03-27 at 20:30
Event Type: Attempted Robbery
Stolen Items: Unsuccessful
Secured: N/A
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A yacht made an unplanned stop at 1700HRS at Cabo de Las Vela to wait for more favorable sailing conditions, planning to depart at 0300HRS. No other yachts were anchored there. At 2030HRS they heard voices and found three masked men in a boat tied to their stern. Communications were difficult but the boarders were clearly told NO and asked, then told to leave. ||The boarders were becoming more aggressive. The crew had prepared with bear spray, and used it on the first man who continued his attempt to climb aboard. He retreated but a second man began to board. They were using/swinging large poles in an attempt to subdue the crew. Both crew then shot more bear spray and the 3 men finally retreated to their boat and departed. ||The crew made a VHF call (no response) and immediately departed.
Incident Date: 2023-12-29 at 08:00
Event Type: Piracy
Stolen Items: batteries,cables,sails,fenders +++
Secured: N/A
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A singlehander departed Santa Marta, Colombia, for the San Blas islands (Panama) and was attacked by pirates about 5 miles offshore Barranquilla, Colombia. The 3 pirates boarded and attacked the captain, beating him and then stabbing him with a knife they found onboard. They made 3 trips to his boat over a few hours time and stole many things including batteries, cables, sails, blocks, fenders +++ and they destroyed electronics.|| The captain was able to make phone contact with a friend in his home country between visits and they contacted their local rescue authorities who then made contact with the Colombian Coast Guard. ||The injured captain continued to repel the pirates' later visits with a hammer and flares, and cut a line they were using in an attempt to tow him toward shore. The pirates finally gave up. The Colombian Coast Guard arrived at the yacht about 30 minutes after the final visit by the pirates and provided assistance and then towed the yacht back to Santa Marta marina where the captain was taken by ambulance to the hospital, treated and kept overnight. ||Reports were made to the Coast Guard and the marina.
Incident Date: 2023-12-22 at 22:30
Event Type: Assault
Stolen Items: Everything – electronics ( InReach, laptop, phones ), cash, tools +++
Secured: Does not apply
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A yacht anchored alone in the bay was boarded by four masked men each armed with a handgun at 2230HRS. The captain was pistol whipped and crew held at gunpoint while the boat was ransacked. The attackers demanded the drugs they thought were onboard. They stole electronics (inReach, laptop, phones), cash and jewelry, plus other assorted items. ||The thieves were unable to steal the well secured dinghy as the keys were lost in the mess they created. Some of the thieves paddled their unpowered boat ashore to unload the stolen items and returned for more and their companions. The entire event lasted about an hour. The captain self-treated his head wounds. ||A report to consular officials was planned, and the boat left the bay.
Incident Date: 2023-09-23 at 10:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: 5 large fenders
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A yacht was anchored alone in Taganga bay. Between 0600-1200HRS, while they were onboard, their 5 large fenders were stolen, each line had been silently cut. ||Reports were made to the police and coast guard.
Incident Date: 2023-05-27 at 04:15
Event Type: Attempted Robbery
Stolen Items: None, not successful
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: After several weeks in the anchorage with several other occupied boats nearby, owners heard noise and discovered 2 men onboard their boat at 0415HRS. ||The leader was armed with a handgun and pointed it into the dark and unlocked companionway. The captain surprised and challenged him and the second man retreated immediately to join a third man who started the engine in their waiting speedboat. The leader also retreated when he apparently realized his companions might leave him behind. The attempted robbery was not successful, nothing was taken, and there were no injuries. || The crew shot off a flare to illuminate the departing criminals and immediately contacted authorities ashore. The police tracked the speedboat and detained a suspect. They recovered a weapon that is being tested for forensics. A formal report was made the next day to the Police and Port Captain as well as the Coast Guard and Navy. An investigation is underway.
Incident Date: 2023-05-19 at 22:00
Event Type: Assault
Stolen Items: Cell phones, laptops, outboard and small items.
Secured: Does not apply
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A yacht transiting from Panama to Cartagena anchored late in the day to overnight at Isla Tortuguilla. There were no other boats anchored there. They closed up and locked the boat for the night. At 2200HRs several men armed with automatic weapons arrived in an open boat with 40HP outboard and boarded. ||The captain reluctantly opened up and the men ransacked the yacht. They collected valuables and then with a blast of gunfire forced all of the crew into the open boat and took them ashore where they were held hostage at gunpoint overnight. The crew was treated roughly but there were no physical injuries. The youngest crew member was handcuffed and then "interviewed" by the leader. The thieves seemed to think the crew was involved in drug smuggling, but found no drugs. They made it clear visitors were not welcome.||The next morning, the thieves returned the hostages to the yacht and released them, and stole the outboard engine. ||The crew departed and plans to make a report to their consular officials.
Incident Date: 2023-02-03 at 23:30
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: Genoa furling was cut and stolen
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: Owners decided to anchor for the night at 2130HRS at Punto Canoa after a long and tiring sail from Cabo de la Velas. They were the only boat in the anchorage. The crew awoke at 2330HRS when they heard people talking just beside their boat and shining lights into the cockpit. The captain went out and found 5-6 men in a panga claiming to be fishermen who thought they had run aground, and the men began asking many questions. One of them boarded, and asked for food. The captain spoke spanish and provided some food and asked that they leave to avoid problems since the yacht had not yet cleared in. The panga departed.||The next morning the crew found that the genoa furling line had been cut, and removed. A report was made to the marina on their arrival later that day.
Incident Date: 2022-09-16 at 03:30
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: 2.7m hard bottom dinghy and 15 HP Neptune outboard (SN 210732201)
Secured: Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A yacht anchored near Club de Pesca. The owner awoke to some noise around 0330HRS , and found that the cable locking his in-the–water dinghy/outboard to the yacht had been cut, and the dinghy/outboard/contents stolen. A report was made to the Coast Guard, Port Captain and on the VHF net. a
