On 2 December 2009 as yacht Karaka was entering Cartagena through the Boca Chica (main shipping channel) entrance at sunset they were attacked by pirates.

They reported a dugout with 4 men that had machetes pulled alongside and boarded the sailboat. Two laptops were taken, electronic equipment, other valuables and an accordion.

The Columbia Coast Guard station in Cartagena was hailed on VHF channel 16 and per the report of the vessel provided a swift response which included an escort into the harbour.

A similar incident to this occurred at the same place 6 months ago. It seems that around Christmas time in Colombia, and probably all of South America, crime increases.

For full details of this attack by skipper Tom Blancart, see the yachts’ website http://karaka.site.voila.fr/.