The cruising cat "Simplicity" of the US couple Ralph K., 66, and Kathy B., 71, from the United States was noticed by a member of the American Sailing Association "Salty Dawg Sailing Association" in Wallilabou Bay on the southwest side of St Vincent, where it was anchored close to the shore with a torn headsail. This is reported by the Website of the Caribbean Safety and Security Net. As the boat was registered with the club and carried the club pennant, the member was able to identify the cat of his club mates and drove over in the dinghy out of concern for the crew. On the spot, he found a boat that had been completely ransacked and was covered in blood. He immediately informed the sailing association and the family of the owner couple as well as the police on St Vincent.
Based on the AIS track of the two Americans, who had taken part in a cruising rally of the association from the USA to Antigua and then spent the winter in the Caribbean, it was possible to reconstruct that the couple was anchored with their boat in Grand Anse on the south-western tip of Grenada when the three suspects escaped from prison in Grenada on 18 February.
Were the couple attacked at anchor and later thrown overboard?
Trevor R., Abitia S. and Ron M. were in custody for a joint armed robbery in Grenada, from which they fled by force at 10 pm. A short time later, according to the AIS tracker, the cat "Simplicity" set sail, left Grenada and travelled around 86 nautical miles to St. Vincent, where the long-distance sailor found it on 20 February. The St Vincent police subsequently managed to arrest the three men, aged between 19 and 30, on 21 February and contacted the Royal Grenada Police. The three are already known to the Grenadine police and had committed other offences in addition to the robbery, one of them had a previous conviction for rape and other violent crimes. The cat was subsequently examined by police forensic experts.
Ralph K. and Kathy B. had been travelling with the boat for several years, he still worked from time to time from on board, she was retired - the dream of so many sailors for their retirement. They had sold their house and bought the cat, on which they now spent most of their time, having been travelling in the Caribbean for months. Kathy B. had also been on the board of the Salty Dawg Association for a long time. Although the police have not yet given any further details about the case following the questioning of the possible perpetrators, it is feared that the three men attacked and murdered the couple or threw them overboard.
Increased violent attacks in the southern Caribbean
In the meantime, the family of the victims has also Statement on the sailing club's website and thanked the police for their sympathy and for quickly apprehending the suspects. We must now await the results of the police investigation.
In the southern Caribbean there has unfortunately been an increase in violent attacks on yachtsmen in the last year or two, most recently in a few bays in St Vincent, where a couple were also attacked and robbed in July last year.
