Cat Burglars in Guadeloupe

Created by doina. Last modified on 2006-02-03 12:38:18
Countries: Guadeloupe

There have been a series of thefts from yachts in Guadeloupe in the last few months, and most recently 4 incidents have been reported in the Bas Du For Marina in January. Nautor's Swan have a charter base in the Marina and a Swan 62 was boarded and valuables were taken. The thief was seen leaving the vessel at approximately 4 am by a visiting French cruiser moored on the same pontoon. Although suspicious the visiting yachtsman was not aware a crime had taken place and assumed the thief was a legitimate crew member. At the time the Captain and a number of crew were sleeping in the main saloon and they were unaware of the thief's presence - the burgler was very stealthy and items were taken from the chart table less than 10cm from the Captain's head! Similar covert style thefts have been reported in Prince Rupert Bay in Dominica in the past.

Last month in Guadeloupe a single handed yachtswoman had her yacht ransacked while she was sleeping on board her yacht - it has been suggested that a knockout spray had been used by the thieves to avoid detection though this has not been conclusively proved.

Despite these worrying incidents,there are a number measures being taken to improve the security in the Bas Du Fort Marina. These include the installation of new security gates to several of the pontoons and security cameras are being placed in strategic areas. It does seem however that all sailors still need to lock hatches at all times, even when moored in a relatively safe haven. This is particularly true at night even when there is a full compliment of crew on board the yacht.

John Burnie