Published 16 years ago, updated 6 years ago

It has been reported on cruising forums that on Sunday night an American, the captain of the vessel Chill, Ken Peters, was killed by pirates at Isla Borracha near Puerto La Cruz.

It appears that Ken and his wife Cathy were anchored with another boat I’Lean, with fellow cruisers Steve & Gloria Davis aboard. Both boats had departed Puerto La Cruz from Bahía Redonda Marina headed west and had stopped at Isla Corracha for the night to clean the boat bottoms and prepare for the voyage west.

At approximately 1730 on Sunday a piñero with 3 men aboard approached the two anchored yachts asking for water. When one of the crew came back up from below with water, they shot Ken with pistols and attempted to kill Steve. Details are not precise, but Steve apparently then shot at the pirates with a shotgun killing one and injuring another. Ken was killed in the exchange and Steve was shot in the thigh.

The Guarda Costa was called and responded and the 2 boats returned to Puerto La Cruz. It has been reported by cruisers in PLC that the whole community is in a state of shock and grief and that a large-scale exodus of cruisers is probable.

The Venezuelan coast remains dangerous and prudent cruisers would be wise to avoid it for the time being.

This is the 5th shooting incident in Venezuela that has been reported to no onsite this year (plus numerous boardings and thefts). See Piracy Reports 2008 for further details.