The boat was anchored with another on the south-west coast of St Vincent in Buccament Bay, about four miles north of the capital Kingstown, according to the Caribbean Safety and Security Network. At 02:30 at night, the skipper woke up in the forward berth when one of the two perpetrators was already standing in front of him and tried to gag him. A struggle began, which ended with the second perpetrator threatening the sailor with a weapon, whereupon he stopped resisting.
The perpetrators pulled a black bag over his head and tied him up. They then ransacked the entire ship and stole electronics, smartphones, a laptop and equipment. They then demanded the man's cash, which he handed over to them. They then tried to steal the dinghy with outboard motor. However, as it was secured with a chain and lock, they failed and escaped in a wooden fishing boat. The owner was then able to free himself and called the police.
The next day, it turned out that the perpetrators had stolen the wooden boat from fishermen in a neighbouring bay and had also tried to rob the second yacht beforehand. However, as the crew was still awake and surprised the perpetrators when they tried to get on board, they abandoned the crew, saying they were only looking for drinking water, and sailed out of the bay in the wooden boat. The sailors then tried to contact the owner of the second boat by radio, but he did not respond as he was asleep. The perpetrators then apparently returned later that night and attacked the single-handed sailor. Both crews had been in the bay for two days and had gone on a shore excursion together the day before.
For many years, St Vincent has been considered one of the Caribbean islands whose capital Kingstown and Wallilabou Bay are not entirely safe. Sailors have been attacked there at longer intervals over the years, and in 2016 a German sailor was even shot dead in Wallilabou Bay. Since then, however, things have calmed down and more yachts are anchoring off the coast in the bays again. However, several sailing guides still expressly warn against anchoring or calling at the capital Kingstown. St Vincent is the gateway to the Grenadines, but for years many crews have tended to skip the actually beautiful island and instead clear in and out on the small, more southerly island of Bequia, which is considered completely safe.
