Suspected pirate Attempted boarding, Honduras

[Delancey]

I'd be pissed too if someone started waving a bunch of guns around at me. Guy had something at his feet you say?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf8RY88NGkE

[Exile]

Originally Posted by colemj

I won't speculate on the specific incident, but can relate our experience from passing through this area several times.

Like Belizesailor noted, this is a large commercial fishery area with banks that extend 60-70nm out. Larger boats dispatch smaller boats with divers that work the banks. We have often had both the larger boats (more rare) and single smaller boats (most common) zig-zagging around us, seemingly coming right at us, only to stop and drop in the water spitting distance away. Their movements are erratic, unpredictable, and can seem personally aggressive. They do this day and night and mostly seem oblivious to other boats passing through. In one case, we were approached and asked for a knife so they could clean some conch to eat. They returned the knife with a pile of cleaned conch.

Again, that is our experience of several times in that area. This is not the Honduran coast that has justifiably earned its reputation, but one should still exercise much caution there. I can't comment on the OP's specific incident, and he hasn't stated whether these people were armed or not, but for others to jump on some bandwagon about "soft-ballers" and "nay-sayers" speaks to inexperience with this area and unexamined biases.

If you have a hammer, you want to find nails.

Mark

Excellent post, whether one decides to bring weaponry on board or not, and regardless of what did or didn't happen here. Seems like I've read hundreds of analogous stories like this from cruisers in various parts of the world for every report of a bad incident. It's all about exercising sound judgment, and that can only come from developing an awareness of local customs & habits.

[model 10]

That short-cut from Guanaja to San Andres is well known for pirates to some but others don't seem to know.

[natraps116]

Originally Posted by colemj

I don't think I have ever had a lobster fisherman that did NOT try to sell me weed in Central America. Weed is as common and acceptable as cigarettes and there is a large market for it in the cruiser community. Probably larger than lobsters in some areas.

I don't know if you are trolling or trying to drive traffic to your website, but generally one would not dribble out pieces of data while others guessed at filling in the picture. Why are you doing so on this thread?

Mark

Well mark, you can get boarded in 20kt winds and 4ft seas by a beat to **** fiberglass "fishing boat" and give knives to strangers. I am going to fend off "fisherman" trying to board my boat and damage my hulls regardless of their intentions. We know what we experienced.

And no, fisherman have never tried to sell us bundles of weed as well as lobster in our experience with no sight of land in a known pirate area.

I bow to your grand experience in being boarded at sea by "fisherman"

Meanwhile, I will continue to you my best judgement when people are approaching my boat unannounced. In rough weather. Everything about this particular situation stunk like a bad deal. And I have bought tons of fish from locals where we have visited.


Please take our experience how ever you want to. But don't comment "they were probably just fisherman". Tell that to the dead sailors who Allowed people to board there vessel in the middle of the ocean....

I am just thankful the crew I had had the sense to Say NO NO NO and then yell to me below as they were getting closer to jump aboard....

[natraps116]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Agree, those additional facts, sure make them sound a lot less like fishermen.

Where are you heading to from Guanaja?

If West, then beware Punta Sal too, where there have been more frequent problems.

Thanks Belize, we are heading North to Cuba after a brief stop in Roatan. Thanks for the tip!

[FamilyVan]

Are Honduran fishermen really too upstanding to sell weed?

I haven't been to Honduras, but I've traveled a bit in Central America and I've had the cops try to sell me weed. Numerous times.

Southern mexico comes to mind, the choice is yours, you can buy weed, by a hammock or get a parking ticket. I haven't been to Mexico in a number of years, but I suspect it hasn't changed much.

I'm not questioning your decision to chase them off. It does sound very suspicious that far off shore. I've just had a lot of unsolicited offers for drugs from casual strangers in some parts of the world.

Sent from my XP7700 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[GoingWalkabout]

Originally Posted by natraps116

As we all know, be cautious cruising near the Honduran coast

https://www.facebook.com/SeawolfAdventure?fref=nf

We we're nearly boarded , got a few feet from the rail before finally turning away.....
our guns prevented violence, just sayin

Thans for your first hand experience of the need and result of having weapons onboard. Glad you are safe. Well done

Just as a matter of interest how have you dealt with your guns when docking in various countries?

Again well done and keep on keeping safe.

[travellerw]

Originally Posted by natraps116

Thanks Belize, we are heading North to Cuba after a brief stop in Roatan. Thanks for the tip!

Wife and I enjoy your videos.. I have been watching as I'm interested in your experience checking in countries with guns. Cuba might be interesting, it seems each port has its own rules.

Would love to have guns on my boat.. Not for protection, but for shits and giggles.. Flinging clays off the bow while offshore seems like it would be damn fun!

Anywhoo, glad you are safe (especially your wife)!

[Pelagic]

To me... the whole hot issue of being armed boils down to the training and capabilities of the holder.

Bad people with guns are out there

In USA....A crazy in Oregon school kills only 9 , with no resistance..... could have been many more..

In Israel, a killer crashes into bus stop and starts hacking away yet an armed target quickly and efficiently puts him down with his handgun.

Difference, in Israel, every citizen has served mandatory time in security forces, been trained and is comfortable with assessment and use of guns.

Perhaps the US should look at how that mandatory military training supports the 2nd Amendment?

[Matt Johnson]

Some may find it odd that the person who has been reporting about bringing guns into every country, is also the one who has an incident where they are needed. I don't know if this is really helping the gun carry cause.

Matt

[Boatguy30]

There was a veteran that resisted in Oregon and was shot 7 times but survived. There were also armed students on campus.

The people of Israel live in a shitty neighborhood. Hard to imagine why people would put themselves thru that.

As far as sailing around with guns in the cockpit? I really hope this stupidity does not catch on.

[brantleychuck]

Wow wow wow. Liberals never cease to amaze me. Yup, probably just down on there luck disenfranchised super friendly fisherman who did not understand " no no no".
To the original poster, Thanks for posting and sorry for the crap you will have to endure for having the gall to defend yourself from the " friendly fisherman or weed dealer ".


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[farm sail]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

There was a veteran that resisted in Oregon and was shot 7 times but survived. There were also armed students on campus.

The people of Israel live in a shitty neighborhood. Hard to imagine why people would put themselves thru that.

As far as sailing around with guns in the cockpit? I really hope this stupidity does not catch on.

Do you have something to support the claim that there were armed students on campus. I was told even a concealed carry permit was not valid on campus. The so-called security guard was not even armed

[Exile]

I'm with you Natraps if they were really attempting to board; maybe not so much if they merely came too close and you misinterpreted their intentions. But hey, and as you properly point out, none of us were there and you were. May not hurt, however, to give the matter a little thought . . . .

Originally Posted by natraps116

Well mark, you can get boarded in 20kt winds and 4ft seas by a beat to **** fiberglass "fishing boat" and give knives to strangers. I am going to fend off "fisherman" trying to board my boat and damage my hulls regardless of their intentions. We know what we experienced.

20 kt. winds & 4' seas is rough? Didn't look that rough in that one pic you linked us to on Facebook. Do you think those conditions would deter many fishermen from being out on the water?

Their "beat to **** fiberglass 'fishing boat'" probably earns them their living so it probably looks pretty good to them.

I read Mark's knife exchange as a rather friendly encounter where the knife got loaned, and then Mark got the knife and a pile of fresh conch back in exchange. Are you suggesting this was an imprudent or dangerous move on his part with people who were unquestionably local (and obviously friendly) fishermen?

Regardless of intentions?? I agree that a hostile boarding warrants & justifies self-defense, but let's say, hypothetically, that it was undisputedly Mark's friendly conch fishermen. You're saying you'd still use a firearm to prevent your topsides gelcoat from getting scratched??

And no, fisherman have never tried to sell us bundles of weed as well as lobster in our experience with no sight of land in a known pirate area.

How many times previous to this one have you been approached by fishermen at sea trying to sell you anything? Have you contrasted this first-time experience with the many times Mark & others have sailed through this area?

I bow to your grand experience in being boarded at sea by "fisherman"

Meanwhile, I will continue to you my best judgement when people are approaching my boat unannounced. In rough weather. Everything about this particular situation stunk like a bad deal. And I have bought tons of fish from locals where we have visited.

Fair enough. Not really enough facts to impugn your judgment, but there are enough uncertainties in your description to ask questions.

Please take our experience how ever you want to. But don't comment "they were probably just fisherman". Tell that to the dead sailors who Allowed people to board there vessel in the middle of the ocean....

I recall reading about several such incidents over the years, but not sure what you mean by sailors "allowing" bad guys to board their vessels. Under pretense of distress or selling fish, or under threat or coercion? Like you, I would draw the line at an uninvited boarding, but I'd also want to be sure this was their intent after they approached my boat. Easier said than done which is the only point of my post.

I am just thankful the crew I had had the sense to Say NO NO NO and then yell to me below as they were getting closer to jump aboard....

Couldn't agree more, assuming the situation was interpreted correctly. My own encounter in the Bahamas arguably looked worse, as there was no chance of them being fishermen and they gave no indication of distress. Just a very small speedboat with six guys or so onboard out in the middle of nowhere. As you described your own encounter, it "stunk like a bad deal" to me too, but was still worth questioning whether my reaction was reasonable & proportional under the circumstances. Could have gone quite poorly with displays of either too much bravado or timidity, imho.

Oh, and btw, I'm pro-gun and rather conservative, fwiw. Labeling & stereo-typing is pretty elementary stuff & never gets these discussions anywhere.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by funjohnson

Some may find it odd that the person who has been reporting about bringing guns into every country, is also the one who has an incident where they are needed. I don't know if this is really helping the gun carry cause.

Matt

Rather odd indeed.