Seems like Cruising is becoming more dangerous

[jssailem]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — An older U.S. couple whose catamaran was hijacked last week in the Caribbean by three escaped prisoners were likely thrown into the ocean and died, police in Grenada said Monday.

US couple whose catamaran was hijacked were likely thrown overboard and died, Grenada police say

Grenada police believe an elderly U.S. couple aboard their catamaran that was hijacked by three escaped prisoners were killed.

apnews.com

 

[kappykaplan]

Been tracking this in the news over the weekend.

 

[jssailem]

My cousin called me this AM. She knew I had sailed in the Caribbean and was concerned. All was good.

 

[rgranger]

Wow

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

I met those people, they docked next to us for a few days. I have no words to express my feelings about this tragedy. Even more personal impact because we were aquainted.

 

[dLj]

Terrible tragedy - it been the topic here numerous times with other sailors. I did not know them, but was talking with a couple that knew them well. Very lovey people. I don't have words...

dj

 

[Project_Mayhem]

That's just downright awful. On another note, why steal one of the slowest types of boats as a getaway vessel?

 

[dlochner]

While this is a tragic event, one event does not make a trend, even when it receives notice on national news. There are some areas more prone to violence, the waters off Columbia and Haiti come to mind, however the vast majority of the West Indies is pretty safe, unless you are a dinghy.

Noonsite.com collects security reports from cruisers around the world. A quick look at recent reports reveals a few burglaries and a bunch of dinghy thefts (mostly for the motors). Given the large numbers of cruisers currently in the West Indies, the incidence rates are pretty low.

As my wife and I plan our next cruise to some pretty remote places we worry more about getting injured or sick in some remote anchorage and not being able to access health care. That won't prevent us from leaving, just make us more cautious. On our last extended cruise the only time I was fearful of bodily harm was when we hiked into a swarm of yellow jackets, I am deathly allergic to bee stings.

It pays to be cautious and to avoid areas where crime may be prevalent, just keep things in perspective and be wary of alarmist headlines. Noonsite is a good resource as is the US State Department which provides Travel Advisories for countries around the world.

Travel Advisories

travel.state.gov

Noonsite.com - The Ultimate Cruisers Planning Tool

 

[Jim Legere]

While this is a tragic event, one event does not make a trend, even when it receives notice on national news. There are some areas more prone to violence, the waters off Columbia and Haiti come to mind, however the vast majority of the West Indies is pretty safe, unless you are a dinghy. [...] It pays to be cautious and to avoid areas where crime may be prevalent, just keep things in perspective and be wary of alarmist headlines. Noonsite is a good resource as is the US State Department which provides Travel Advisories for countries around the world.

Travel Advisories

travel.state.gov

Noonsite.com - The Ultimate Cruisers Planning Tool

Agreed. Then there is "being in the wrong place at the wrong time", which is sometimes almost unavoidable. The couple who were hijacked and murdered were not in a remote, dangerous anchorage. They were in the wrong place when three escaped felons were there.

 

[dlochner]

Just came across this article from the Caribbean Safety and Security Net about safety issues in the Caribbean. The data is interesting and suggests most criminal behavior is located in a few countries and dinghy theft is the number one crime. In 2022 there were only 12 violent incidents reported in the region.

https://safetyandsecuritynet.org/caribbean-safety-and-security-net-annual-report-2022-reported-yacht-crime-caribbean/

 

[capta]

There's nothing new or odd about the latest tragedy in the Eastern Caribbean yachting community. Reporting has definitely improved over the years, but since the governments of the EC nations have outlawed hanging, serious crimes, especially to visitors, have increased considerably.
I don't have the energy to list the myriad of such incidents that have happened since I began my circumnavigation in 1970 however, if you remember, even Joshua Slocumb had to come up with some pretty creative ways to keep intruders off his boat. But if you look at the overall numbers, since GPS entered the cruising sector, the numbers of those cruising around on yachts has increased many times more than crimes against cruisers.
Personally, I'd much prefer to take my chances of being a victim of a crime, rather than go back to the uncertainties of the weather and a good fix when I needed it, using celestial navigation.