Caribbean Crime - Take Care!

5th December 2000
Boats are being boarded in Grenada (as well as 2 incidences in Bequia). Two days before xmas, Peter and Angela of Catspaw II were in bed. A local man appeared in their cockpit at 10.30 pm. He said he was the local tour operator and wanted to take them for a tour the next day. Peter told him it was a strange story and why did he not knock on the boat as normal people do. The guy's dinghy floated away and he asked Peter to give him a lift to get his dinghy. Peter said ‘ wait until I get dressed’ grabbed a camera and took his photograph, then he took him to his dinghy.

Next day, Peter left for Trinidad. On New Years eve morning, Keith and Penny of trawler ‘Welsh Dragon’ were boarded in the Grenada yacht club at 6 am. The local swam over and boarded the vessel while they were asleep. He took Keith’s gold watch then went down to their sleeping quarters and went through Penny’s handbags and found Keith’s gold bracelet. He then took Keith’s shorts up to the cockpit, found his wallet and took some money. No credit cards were taken.

I got $200 Grenadian dollars stolen in the supermarket when I went to get some food for xmas. I got jostled a couple of times and I apologised. That is a laugh. If Alan had not come in I would have been embarrassed at the check out. Sounds bad but you know, this happens all over at xmas. Just sounds bad when you are away from home...

Two weeks after Welsh Dragon was boarded, Catspaw II, who returned to Grenada was boarded again. Peter went up and yelled ‘what are you doing on my boat?’ then "oh no, not you again.’ yes, it was the same guy who immediately jumped into his dinghy and took off. Two USA yachties – one an ex navy seal, were passing and heard the commotion, so they took Peter and went after him. I guess they ‘dealt’ with him ‘seriously’ – I believe he saw what the water looked like from the ‘underside’ more than once and we believe his face got in the way of a hand or two. They took him ashore (hog tied) and as he lay in the dinghy, a taxi driver came down and asked what he thought he was doing and the taxi driver ‘dealt’ with him ‘seriously’ too with a few punches! I think he knew him.

The good thing is they don’t mess around there and he was in court within 2 days. He was just out of jail for the same thing. He admitted stealing the jewellery but denied boarding Catspaw II – even though he was photographed. He got one year for stealing from ‘Welsh Dragon’ and was being tried for trespassing on Catspaw II. I will let you know the outcome when I find out.

The happy part was that Penny and Keith got the jewellery back, having been sold for $80 ec (approx. Twenty pounds).

We left the lagoon and went outside and anchored off the beach quite a way out. We saw a black head in the water and realized it was a local boy - swimming way out almost to our boat. He came close to our friend’s boat ‘Distant Drummer’ and Frank told him not to sneak up on him again. The boy said he was looking for work. – way offshore!

We left the next day and guess what, a boat was boarded and robbed right where we had been anchored. Well, you just have to lock up at night, just as you would do at home. We have to learn not to trust too much any more. Does not put us off sailing though!!!

We felt that we should warn yachties who may be travelling to the Caribbean as there have been more serious boardings on the sail from Venezuala to Trinidad and these are more violent. Our advice is not to sail on your own at night as that is when most boardings happen.

Do not anchor in bays alone near Venezuala (or anywhere around there) as a yachtsman’s rope to his anchor was cut during the night and the yacht was drifting to shore where men were waiting to board. When the couple realised what was happening, they started the engine and the man was shot. His wife got them to Trinidad.

The incidents in Bequia were committed by two children on surf boards, aged around 8 to 10 years old. They were able to climb in through the hatches so - another lesson to be learned. These incidences have been few and far between but are becoming more frequent so if we use commonsense and find someone to travel with, you are safer as they prefer lone yachts. The onus is on us to make our yachts and lives secure. Hope this information can be of some use to others wishing to travel to the Caribbean. Alan and Cecilia Ruel of s/y ‘Christalana’

Page added 25/1/01 Link correcrion 20/12/01

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