Panama: Skipper Killed and Crew Wounded

[osirissail]

Okay folks, before we go wandering off on incomplete information (excepting Mintypilot who also read the links)- - This was NOT a cruising boat and the people were NOT cruisers. This was an incident involving a professional treasure hunter and those ashore who wanted some of the treasure that was reputedly stored/kept on the boat. From TaoJones link to Lat38:
"After researching the matter, reporter Don Winner of the widely read and well-respected online magazine Panama Guide is convinced that this was not a random attack. Rather, he believes that Kjaer-Olsen — who is a longtime treasure diver — and his family were singled out because a large quantity of 17th century gold was believed to have been aboard their 70-ft S&S schooner Antares."

From the link to the Panama-Guide: "Bo Kjaer-Olsen was a famous salvage diver and treasure hunter who probably had about $200,000 dollars worth of 17th Century Spanish gold on his boat, enough to lure the five men who attacked his family and killed him."

- - I think there are few if any "cruisers" wandering around with $200K in gold onboard their boats. . . especially those in the "cruising on $500/month thread and for them some of the summary from the Panama-Guide article is appropriate: "If you ever happen to find yourself in possession of $200,000 dollars worth of Spanish gold from a sunken treasure - put it in a safe deposit box in a bank somewhere."

[kevingy]

Originally Posted by Panamajames

... and the hatred for the USA for what we are doing to them. This is what they told me from Immigration to Navy to Adwana to Police. It is Americas fault Mexico is having problems. The are deporting our people helping their family's. The drugs are consumed by Americans and so it is our fault Mexicans are into drug wars. The firearms are coming from American and killing our people. I heard this from everyone in Mexico.

LOL! I've had my first good laugh of the day. I guess "everyone in Mexico" can't take responsibility for their own and have to blame someone else, in this case the country that's (legally or illegally) funding the vast majority of everything in Mexico. America was not the cause of centuries of lawlessness and corruption that has led to the current state of lawlessness and corruption. There is no reason to believe the last decade or so of American action or inaction is the cause of the current violence.

It just burns my buns that every time something bad happens everyone wants to blame Americans when America is typically just a convenient scapegoat.

[sanssouci]

Lots of people still hanging around the area.
Read the recent history of ISLA COIBA, a small island 6o miles to the South. Happens to be one of my favorite cruising spots,