The village is located on the west coast, a few miles north of the main town of Soufrière. There, a two-person crew woke up at 1 a.m. when two locals came onto the boat in a kayak and threatened the crew. Although the skipper managed to chase the intruders away, they threatened to come back with a gun and kill the skipper and crew. The police were called to help about 40 minutes later and took up the case.
However, not all cases of piracy have ended so lightly this year. In the same bay in July, a crew was robbed by robbers armed with pistols at 8 p.m. in the evening; the robbers escaped with cash and electronic devices.
Piracy ended in a bloody battle
What is even worse is that yachties are now also being robbed again in the strategically important bay of Soufrière. At midnight on 6 October, four robbers armed with machetes and knives boarded a couple on their catamaran. They threatened the couple and escaped with money and valuables. Two other cases of piracy occurred a few months ago. Crews on mooring buoys were attacked, and in one case there was even a threatening armed fight between two robbers and three crew members. The latter were able to drive off the intruders, who had entered through a hatch, but suffered minor injuries.
This means that the actually beautiful Caribbean island is currently a dangerous place for crews again, which is very unfortunate, because before Corona, the security situation with regard to piracy in St Lucia had just improved significantly, as YACHT was able to confirm during a visit in 2020. Soufrière Bay in particular, a favourite destination for many crews because of the picturesque spot in front of the Pitons, was considered relatively safe. Anchoring is prohibited there and mooring buoys are provided by the municipality. Rangers collect mooring fees and also patrolled the area at night, at least in 2020, which ensured that the attacks that used to occur there came to a virtual standstill.
However, as the rather poor Caribbean island suffered economically due to the drastic drop in visitors during the coronavirus pandemic, cases of piracy appear to be on the rise again. Soufrière and Anse Canaries therefore do not seem to be a good choice at the moment. Marigot Bay comes to mind as an alternative, but there have already been two thefts on board there this year, but at least only while the crews were ashore for dinner. That leaves Rodney Bay in the north-west with its modern marina, port of entry and better security service as a good alternative. However, it is nowhere near as scenic as the bays to the south and off the main town of Soufrière.
Although the police recorded and logged the piracy cases and appeared on site promptly, no fingerprints or similar were taken in any of the cases.
An unfortunate development
All in all, this is a very regrettable development for Caribbean sailors, who are only just beginning to return to the waters after the long coronavirus lockdowns. St Lucia has always been a little rougher due to the great poverty of the population in some areas, but the increase in piracy cases in recent months is worrying. Crews departing from Martinique and heading south to the Grenadines are advised to ask the base managers of the charter companies about the latest situation before stopping in St Lucia and to take a look at the Caribbean Safety and Security Net which collects all cases in the area and describes them in detail on the website. In addition, the companionway hatch and large windows should remain closed at night and the dinghy and outboard motor should be hauled up and connected at night. However, the latter is recommended throughout the Caribbean.
