DATE: 2023-08-21 20:00 LOCATION: Saint Lucia – Marigot – Outer Bay EVENT: Theft HAND: 1 STOLEN ITEMS: fuel line SECURED: Locked DETAILS: A yacht anchored outside Marigot Bay for a few days, another yacht was also there. At 2000HRS while the owner/crew were down below they heard a noise. They went topsides and began yelling at a local boat that was attempting to steal their in-the-water and chain locked dinghy/outboard. The thief managed to steal the fuel line before departing. A report was made to the marina and police the next day. ID: 3085
DATE: 2023-07-23 01:00 LOCATION: Saint Lucia – Marigot – Outer Bay EVENT: Theft HAND: 1 STOLEN ITEMS: Dive knife and a pair of sunglasses SECURED: Not Locked DETAILS: A monohull with 4 persons on board anchored overnight in Marigot. They awoke at 0100HRS when they heard sounds and discovered a boarder had opened and begun to enter their closed but not locked companionway. The thief stole a dive knife and sunglasses from the cockpit before quickly departing on a SUP.
About an hour later the cruisers noticed another yacht scanning the shoreline with a light, and then departing. The first yacht departed also and the 2 yachts made contact via AIS. The second yacht had cash and cigarettes stolen. The police were contacted immediately but the marine police did not have a boat nearby to take an in person report. ID: 3060
DATE: 2023-06-13 00:05 LOCATION: Saint Lucia – Anse Canaries EVENT: Assault HAND: 1 STOLEN ITEMS: Cash, tablet, phone, VHF radios, all clothing and food, chartplotter and GPS, epoxy resin and hardener, earphones, backpack, dinghy/9.8HP Tohastu SECURED: Not Locked DETAILS:UPDATED REPORT : The victim has provided additional detail. This report replaces the original secondhand report previously published.
A singlehander anchored in Anse Canaries between 1700-1800HRS, there were no other yachts in the anchorage. He was awakened with a machete to his throat just after midnight. Three(3) young men had arrived by kayak and boarded the unlocked yacht. The captain complied with their demands, was threatened with death and then tied up by one of the 2 masked men. Over the course of 2 hours the men stole cash, electronics, all food and clothing and then departed in the yachts dinghy with the kayak in tow. The captain sustained minor injuries but was able to untie himself.
The thieves had left behind the trackable Garmin In-Reach which the captain used to contact and inform family members, who then contacted Interpol who then engaged the local St. Lucia marine police. The yacht departed immediately but was met many miles offshore sometime later by the marine police. A verbal report was made and the yacht continued to its next port. A full report was made with local officials on arrival and St. Lucian officials later that day. St. Lucian officials reported that they had recovered the dinghy/outboard ashore. An investigation was opened by St. Lucia police, and efforts are underway to get the dinghy/outboard back to the owner.
CSSN will update this report if authorities make progress with arrest/prosecution.
NOTE: This is not the first recent instance of armed robbery in this bay, or nearby in the Soufriere/Pitons area. No arrests have been made in any of the earlier cases. Utilize the CSSN archives and Zoom-Tap maps for 2022 to easily review those 5 incidents. ID: 3036
DATE: 2023-02-06 05:00 LOCATION: Saint Lucia – Rodney Bay – Pigeon Island EVENT: Theft HAND: 2 STOLEN ITEMS: Outboard SECURED: Locked DETAILS: Yacht owners awoke to find that their outboard engine that was locked to the stern pulpit had been stolen overnight. The dinghy which was left afloat and not locked was not taken. No police report was made and they left the next day. ID: 2980
LOCATION: Saint Lucia – Pitons EVENT: Vandalism HAND: 1 STOLEN ITEMS: boat hook destroyed SECURED: N/A DETAILS: A cruising yacht approached the SMMA moorings between the Pitons intending to practice mooring pickup and self-moor. They were intercepted by aggressive boat boys who demanded excessive payment for unwanted services, which were declined. When the yacht attempted to pickup the mooring their boat hook became entangled in the lines which had been tied off underwater. The boat boys immediately retrieved the boat hook and then maliciously bent it, making it unusable. The boat boys were paid a fee in excess of the customary $20ECD recommended by the SMMA park rangers, and they hung at the boat in a menacing manner demanding additional payment for sometime before departing. ID: 2974
