Caribbean Safety and Security Net
Know Before You Go
Part of the Virgin Islands
DATE: 2018-02-05 02:00
Country Name: USVI
Location Detail: St. Thomas American Yacht Harbor
EVENT: Theft
HAND: 2
Stolen Items: 15′ Caribe centre console w/40 hp outboard
SECURED: Locked
DETAILS: A yacht on E dock at AYH had its locked dinghy stolen overnight. A police report was made, CCTV cameras recorded the event and police arrested the culprit. The dinghy was found abandoned and returned to the owners.
DATE: 2016-01-15 11:00
Country Name: USVI
Location Detail: St Croix south shore
EVENT: Piracy
Stolen Items: electronics, cash
SECURED: N/A
DETAILS: On January 14, 2016 a French single-hander, en route from the Bahamas to Guadeloupe stopped to rest overnight in a protected anchorage on the southwest coast of St. Croix. The next morning, 30 minutes after departing the anchorage at 1100 HRS, while under power, and then located about 1.5 miles offshore, he was approached and boarded in an act of piracy by 2 of 3 young men on-board a big fishing boat.
The men aggressively threatened him, shouting “drugs, money” and punched him in the face and then stabbed/slashed his lower left leg. They took cash and electronics from below. The captain was then shot in the right thigh at close range, severely wounding him, and left on the floor of his drifting boat when the men departed.
The captain, although bleeding profusely and in severe pain was able to maneuver his boat back into the industrial harbor alongside a tug. He tossed shells, winch handles, etc. at the side of the tug. It took about 45 minutes before he was able to get the attention of anyone on the much larger tug. A tug crewmember eventually investigated the unusual noises and then summoned the police and ambulance. The victim was transported to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for his serious injuries, some 3 hours after the initial attack.
The boat was put in the care of the police, and later hauled for storage. After a period of hospitalization, the victim was stabilized and then returned to France, where he remains hospitalized after additional surgeries.
CSSN NOTE: CSSN wishes to thank the Good Samaritan who assisted the victim with communications and translated a first person report from French. CSSN suggests that anyone who finds themselves in a serious situation while outside their home country, particularly if not able to speak the local language, make or request contact with the closest of their home country Consular Services/Embassy. Consular officials can assist with a variety of helpful emergency resources, including qualified translators, communications with family/friends as well as with all of the appropriate local officials.
CSSN will post further updates here as they become available.
DATE: 2015-12-13 00:00
Country Name: USVI
Location Detail: St. Croix Christiansted
EVENT: Theft
Stolen Items: Dinghy and Suzuki 2.5 outboard, small anchor and ground tackle and all of the hardware was gone off the boat
SECURED: Not Locked
DETAILS: Our dinghy was stolen from the Jones Maritime Company dock sometime Dec 12 or 13. The dock has a locked gate, but the dinghy was only tied to the dock, and the painter was cut. We walked along the industrial waterfront west of Christiansted, and found the dinghy onshore, all tubes slashed beyond repair. The motor, ground tackle and hardware used to hoist the dinghy were all missing. Reported to police.
DATE: 2015-11-30
Country Name: USVI
Location Detail: Water Island, St Thomas
EVENT: Theft
Stolen Items: Dinghy, hard, aluminum transom, fire hose on gunwhale, outboard engine with white cowling with two horizontal stripes
SECURED: Unknown
DETAILS: November 30, at night in Water Island USVI hard dinghy and outboard motor stolen. It is unknown if it was reported to police. Reported to CSSN via KPK.