US Cruiser Killed During Boat Robbery in Venezuela

[Amgine]

AP reports an United Stater was killed and a friend injured during an apparent boat robbery off the island of Mochima, a national park on Venezuela's northeastern coast.

Kenneth Dale Peters, 55, was shot by armed men who boarded his sailboat to rob him and his passengers Saturday night, authorities said.

Peters apparently tried to defend himself with a gun and wounded one of the attackers, who got away, regional police chief Gustavo Palacios said.

Also wounded was Stephen Davis, 63, a friend of Peters. Police said he was recovering at a hospital.

[George]

SSCA Discussion Board :: View topic - Death of an American cruiser in Venezuela

[Pelagic]

Tragic, but also frustrating that any constructive debate over this event will be deemed a “Gun Thread” and is anathema to CF

I fear as the economy plunges worldwide, this aggression will become more common to cruisers in remote areas

[drob]

A tragedy. Peter blake lost his life defnding his boat and that caused huge discussion here in NZ. Sometimes you just have to defend your small part of this world. The bad guys can't have it all. My sympathy goes out to all those who make a stand and pay the price.

[Amgine]

I'm of the opinion we don't have enough details to have *any* discussion about either what happened or to critique.

I'm also of the opinion that, in fact, this kind of violence will decrease in part due to the global slowdown. It is far more costly to an economic region to lose tourist trade in an economic downturn due to a negative reputation than it is to improve or maintain a good reputation. Especially in regions where tourism is a primary source of foreign currency.

That said, Venezuela will likely never rely on tourism as a primary economic engine. So, for this state, I believe you may be right - violence may increase because there's no reason for the economy to focus on preventing it.

[BlueWaterSail]

Originally Posted by drob

A tragedy. Peter blake lost his life defnding his boat and that caused huge discussion here in NZ. Sometimes you just have to defend your small part of this world. The bad guys can't have it all. My sympathy goes out to all those who make a stand and pay the price.

No offense, but they can't hear you because they're dead.

I understand that it seems the "right thing to do", but the reality is that the expectations of the robbers in these types of situations are pathetically low.

A few hundred bucks in cash and a few trinkets ... I'm not sure I would want to make a stand for that.

Perhaps the best revenge would be a fake Rolex in the "safe", with the real kitty hidden well around the boat.

BWS

[GordMay]

Very sad and disturbing news.

Please be aware that "Big Brother" is watching this thread.

[Pelagic]

This seems to have been a “worse case scenario” kind of attack, by individuals that came armed with premeditated murderous intent.

From what I read below from those who have spoken to the survivors, there would have been no reasoning, no bribes and probably no survivors if Steve did not use his own fire extinguisher.

Horrible things like this happen everywhere in our cities, towns and even schools, so I don’t view this as specific to yachting, but a sad comment on how quickly a random exposure to a killer, can change your life.

When we dream of going cruising, we dream of escaping all the evils in this world, but the reality is that there is no escape if you happen to become a killer's target. There is only vigilance and a healthy dose of luck.

My condolences to the family and a tip of the hat to Steve for limiting the carnage.

Doug of
Doug & Diane
s/v Salacia

About 5:30 PM they were approached by 3 men in a piñero who asked 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 and killed one and injured another of the bandits. Ken was killed in the exchange and Steve injured but not badly.

SV GLADYS
42 TAYANA VANCOUVER

We are also here in Bahia Redonda and it is difficult to describe the awful loss that we all feel today.We all gathered on the dock to wish both boats farewell ...and just a few hours later we are all hearing the terrible news of Ken's death on the VHF probably the most surreal thing that I have ever encountered...after what seemed like an eternity both boats returned to the marina Chill to the dock and I lean to the Venezuelan Coastguard.

The fact is that the 3 attackers had no intention of doing anything but killing and stealing..these scumbags shot Ken as he was giving them the water that they requested...Steve from I lean probably saved the 3 remaining cruisers and he is the real hero and as I sit and write this post he has a bullet in his thigh.

[CaptHead]

Who is Doug and Diane? I knew a Doug and Diane that left my marina to cruise and were in Trinidad a few years back. Does anyone have contact info?

My brother is in the oil business and works from time to time in Venezuela and has seen the regression that country has taken from a free market society to a socialist country. The Chavez oil industry is losing production in the 40% range and money as well. Crime has risen tremendously. He has guards with him now. This doesn't surprize me at all and my heart felt condolences to all involved.

[Tellie]

Doug of
Doug & Diane
s/v Salacia

About 5:30 PM they were approached by 3 men in a piñero who asked 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 and killed one and injured another of the bandits. Ken was killed in the exchange and Steve injured but not badly.


Seems like one for the pro-gunners.....
Hi Big Bro!

[Tellie]

Another note..part of the argument against weapons on board is that if you do use one to defend yourself or others, is that the local authorities will take a dim view and you will most likely end up in some third world hell hole of a prison. Seems just the exact oposite has happened as the authorities in Vn are protecting and safely guarding them.

[slomotion]

We stayed at Bahia Redonda Marina in the summer of 2000. It had a wonderful yacht club and yet was an inexpensive place to wait out hurricane season.

There were many places in VZ that we were advised to steer clear of, but Mochima wasn’t one of them. This is not an island; it is a national park with many remote islands and the government has a vested interest in keeping the place safe and pristine. Unfortunately they have allowed increased settlement on the coastal mainland portions. I have recommended sailing these gorgeous and often overlooked islands for years, but .......... maybe not so much anymore.

[mudbug]

We were in Bahia Redonda in 2006, the same year the Austrian cruiser got shot anchored close to Puerto La Cruz at a nearby island.

There was serious concern about entering Venezuelan waters even then.

The word was already out in 2006 that it was simply not advisable to anchor near the Venezuelan mainland, park or no park, period.

We were all advised to head straight out to Tortuga, or to the Los Roques when departing and not stop close in.

Things were getting bad then and have gotten steadily worse, even at Margarita, according to reports from friends still in the area.

It's too bad because we loved the people so much.

It is all heartbreaking and one can only speculate as to Venezuela's future with Chavez at the helm. So sad.

We pray for the victims and the community in this terrible and difficult time for them.

Buddy

[anglooff]

I know it will be of interest to the Forum, that the Venezuelan police arrested one of the three attackers (the wounded individual)of Peter Blake and they felt confident that the other two would be soon be under lock and key.

A sad event perhaps lightened minutely

Regards

Alan

[Southern Star]

Haven't heard of any cruisers murdered on Margarita, but there have certainly been incidents of burglaries and robberies, particularly in the more isolated part of the island near Robledal. Please understand that Venezuela is a large country with the biggest coastline in the Caribbean; it is unfair to denegrate the entire country because of incidents at specific locations near the mainland. Understand too that violent robberies against cruisers occur in isolated anchorages everywhere, including areas traditionally considered quite safe, such as St. Vincent. Finally, consider that the response of the Guardia National in this case had been creditable in that they not only guarded and assisted his widow back to the marina, but have already made an arrest. Indeed, despite the gratuitous (and irrelevant) comments about Hugo Chavez, in my experience his government is in fact taking a rather proactive approach against crime.

My sympathy goes out to his surviving friends and family. While we do not, as yet, know sufficient facts to be able come up with concrete conclusions about what transpired, it is clear that, whether or not they possessed or used firearms, they were the victims of a horrible crime. I only hope that we do not trivialize this by getting into another interminable discussion about firearms.

Brad