Bequia priracy three weeks ago

[oshunlvr]

Please note that our secured boat was forceably entered by thiefs when anchored in Admiralty Bay. A police report was filed but to date no recovery of stolen goods: cameras, cell phones, ipods, vhf radio and UW camera housing.

Recommend additional precautions be taken.

Oshunlvr

[night0wl]

Reported this on noonsite? That tends to get the most traffic for cruisers looking for crime reports.

[BlueWaterMD]

What a shame. Bequia has always been one of my favorite places. It is really too bad... the island is so small there is no doubt the locals all know who did it.

[Stillraining]

Not really Piracy..I know I know technicality..

[gtod25]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

Not really Piracy..I know I know technicality..

While my absolute sympathy goes to the original poster this was "THEFT" with "Breaking and Entering". It does not rank with the taking of the Maersk Alabama and the kidnapping of its Captain. Lets keep in mind that we seriously affect the economy of these small islands when we blow some incidents out of proportion. Theft certainly pisses us cruisers off, especially when it involves our homes (i.e. boat) but its THEFT, pure and simple.

To give you a parallel, I work in a Miami West Marine. Today a Venezuelan customer had his car window smashed and his briefcase with cash and all his documents stolen, in broad daylight, in our parking lot. His comment was "I thought it would be safe in the US"! It was THEFT!

Lets get the information out, lets get the local authorities off their chairs but lets be very careful how we label these incidents.

Thanks for reading my rant

Gerry

[Yorksailor]

We were in Bequia three weeks ago, will be back there in two weeks time and we live in Miami near the West Marine...Bequia is far safer. However, when thefts and attacks occour from boats cruisers avoid those anchorages and the local economy suffers.

Cruisers should take all precautions but the locals need to be proactive in protecting their income source. A recent robbery from a friend's boat in Grenada resulted in swift justice for the thieves and those that bought the stolen goods...which is why we spend months in Grenada and never visit St Vincent. If the water taxis and boat vendors in Bequia want to continue to make a good living they need to help prevent the thefts.

Bequia has the most professional Customs Officers in the Caribbean and I am sure that they will be taking this robbery very personally but unfortunately the police there have a very low profile.

Ochunlvr, could we have more deails please and do notify noonsite.

Phil

[Jace2]

Originally Posted by gtod25

While my absolute sympathy goes to the original poster this was "THEFT" with "Breaking and Entering". It does not rank with the taking of the Maersk Alabama and the kidnapping of its Captain. Lets keep in mind that we seriously affect the economy of these small islands when we blow some incidents out of proportion. Theft certainly pisses us cruisers off, especially when it involves our homes (i.e. boat) but its THEFT, pure and simple.

To give you a parallel, I work in a Miami West Marine. Today a Venezuelan customer had his car window smashed and his briefcase with cash and all his documents stolen, in broad daylight, in our parking lot. His comment was "I thought it would be safe in the US"! It was THEFT!

Lets get the information out, lets get the local authorities off their chairs but lets be very careful how we label these incidents.

Thanks for reading my rant

Gerry

Piracy: The practice of attacking and robbing ships at sea.

That's a definition from the dictionary.

Although there was apparently no ear rings, eye patches, or squawking parrots, I think "piracy" is appropriate.

[smackdaddy]

Except this was theft/burglary...not robbery or attacking.

[wind_magic]

From Wikipedia ...

Maritime piracy, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982, consists of any criminal acts of violence, detention, or depredation committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or aircraft that is directed on the high seas against another ship, aircraft, or against persons or property on board a ship or aircraft. Piracy can also be committed against a ship, aircraft, persons, or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any state, in fact piracy has been the first example of universal jurisdiction.

So it looks like part of the definition has less to do with whether violence or theft was involved and more to do with whether the act was committed by the crew or passengers of one vessel against another.

Edit, oh, and Oshunlvr, sorry to hear about you losing your stuff. That is no fun.

[Jace2]

Originally Posted by smackdaddy

Except this was theft/burglary...not robbery or attacking.

It is my opinion that theft, whether by force or stealth, IS an attack, in several ways. Here I submit just a few:

It is an attack upon your livelihood.
When a thief steals from you, he is committing an act of violence against your money. He is attacking your hard earned goods that your labor has paid for, raping your possessions, and ripping from you the rightful ownership of said goods.

It is an attack upon your safety.
When a criminal gains entrance to your home to steal from you, be it your boat, house, or other dwelling, he offends the implied 'No entry' rule you have established when locking down, or even just closing off, access to your place of residence. He has taken for himself the power of your vulnerability and weakness, whether you are asleep at the time or simply unprepared for his intrusion. He has breached your home, unannounced and unwelcomed, and set you at a disadvantage for defending yourself.

It is an attack upon your dignity.
When someone steals what you have worked for, they are making a statement about you. They are saying, You are there for my trampling and abuse, and that which you possess is mine to do with as I choose. They are relegating you to nothing more than chattel, there for the gluttonous consumptive target of their own appetites.

And finally, it is an attack against God.
He has set up certain moral and ethical structures, one of which is "Thou shalt not steal." The thief is saying to God, the all-powerful Creator of the universe, My rules supersede Yours, my desires override Your commandments. And, by implication, I am greater than You. This is the most heinous of all attacks.

There are more, I'm sure, but I was aiming for brevity.