In a first hand security report to Noonsite, cruiser Pauline Lamb said that when she and her partner arrived back at their catamaran after dark on Friday July 7, 2023 (approx. 21:15), they discovered a dinghy parked under the trampoline.

“An individual had already boarded our boat by slashing the trampoline and entering in the bathroom hatch. When we arrived back at our boat – which was unlocked – the intruder escaped back to his dinghy,” Pauline said.

“My partner drove to the front of the boat to challenge him and he pointed what looked like a gun, (with a gun stance) and pulled down a skull mask over his face.  My partner rammed the intruder’s dinghy using our dinghy with its engine and he fell into the water and swam to the shore. My partner took the intruder’s dinghy to the police station and reported the incident.

“We did try to call the police (911) and the Coastguard on VHF Channel 16 at the time of the incident, but there was no response. The following day we went snorkeling and we found our watch and his (the intruder’s) phone in trousers on the seabed along with a gun magazine. The gun magazine was a toy replica.

“We gave the police the trousers and the phone. We do not know whether the police have followed up or not. We also reported the incident to the Coastguard.”

The CSSN report follows.

…………………………………..

Source:  CSSN

DATE:  2023-07-07 21:15

LOCATION:  Sint Maarten (Kingdom of the Netherlands) – Simpson Bay

EVENT:  Theft

HAND: 1

STOLEN ITEMS:  A dive watch

SECURED: Not Locked

DETAILS:

Cruisers arrived back to their catamaran at 2115HRS and discovered a thief had boarded after slashing the trampoline lashing and entering through the unlocked forward head hatch. He pulled a mask over his head and pointed what looked like a gun at the crew before boarding his small dinghy which had been left secured between the hulls. The cat’s crew rammed the small dinghy and the thief fell overboard and swam towards shore.

The next day the crew found the mans pants on the seabed below the yacht and in the pockets were their dive watch, the man’s phone and a gun magazine. The small dinghy and all but the dive watch were turned over to the Dutch police. The police indicated the gun magazine was likely from some sort of BB gun type of weapon.

CSSN NOTE:  If you are a victim, please take five minutes to complete the CSSN online incident report, it’s quick, confidential and keeps our cruising community fully and factually informed.