Navigate Noonsite

  • Home
  • Member Benefits
    • Login
    • Explore More

    • Countries and Ports
    • Find a Business
  • About Noonsite
    • About Us
    • Contacts
    • Newsletter
    • Explore More

    • Countries and Ports
    • Find a Business
  • Newsletter
  • Latest News and Reports
    • Latest News
    • Latest Reports
    • Explore More

    • Countries and Ports
    • Find a Business
  • Cruising Resources
    • Books
    • Charts
    • Circumnavigation
    • Courtesy Flags
    • Communications
    • Covid 19
    • Cruising Information
    • Cruising with Children
    • Cruising with Pets
    • Cruisers Websites
    • Documents Required
    • Equipment
    • Environment
    • European Union
    • Global Yachting Services
    • Insights
    • Insurance
    • Piracy and Security
    • Portrait of a Cruiser
    • Rallies
    • Routing
    • Safety and Medical
    • Weather
    • Explore More

    • Countries and Ports
    • Find a Business
  • Countries by Region
  • Countries and Ports
  • Find a Business
  • Find News
  • Find a Report
  • Find a Comment
Loginor Register

The Ultimate Cruisers Planning Tool

Register for free Login 23461 Members
How to add an anchorage?
Noonsite Map: User Instructions COVID-19: Open/Closed Countries

Nicaragua, Media Luna Cays: Piracy – December 2016

Previous Page

Report Intro

(December 20, 2016) – As reported by CSSN: Piracy

Last Update - June 19, 2017

Report Content

As reported by the Caribbean Safety & Security Net

DATE: 2016-12-20

Country Name: Nicaragua

Location Detail: Media Luna Cays

EVENT: Piracy

Stolen Items: all extra diesel stored in containers, mobile phones, money, clothes, food, fishing equipment, navigation aids, personal effects, various sailing equipment

DETAILS:

A yacht owner and friend were sailing a 12m monohull from Bocas del Toro (Panama) to Belize.

Passing 30-40 miles off the shallow coast of Nicaragua, it had been a difficult and tiring trip, so they decided to make a rest stop in the uninhabited Media Luna Cays.

At 10 AM while underway they were approached at high speed by 2 pangas (longboats with outboards), each with 4 men onboard. They seemed friendly initially and asked for a drink, and were given a few beers.

Then suddenly many more boats appeared over the horizon, making thirteen in all, and the intentions of the assembled group became clear. They overwhelmed the yacht and were raucous and menacing while their visible knives remain sheathed. They attempted to “guide” the boat onto the reef where 2 other wrecked boats were visible. When the yacht veered away they became more aggressive and began to ram into the side of the yacht, causing damage to the hull and port lights.

The crew managed to keep sailing as they were boarded by 25-30 men, with another 30 or so men in the remaining pangas. A larger boat with a cabin and radio antenna carried the leader. He boarded and demanded to search the boat for cocaine. The crew negotiated a truce of sorts with the leader and allowed him (only) to search below. Some of the others forced their way below anyway, and along with the many pirates, topsides helped themselves to fuel, food, cash, cell phones, fishing gear, clothing, marine electronics and anything they could remove.

The crew protested when they took gear necessary to their continued travel and in a few cases, it was reluctantly returned by the leader. The leader seemed proud of his control over his assistants and eventually forced them up and off the yacht. He asked for a reward for keeping his word and pointed to a small Wi-Fi speaker, which he was given.

The pirate leader and crew thanked each other and shook hands. The pirates then departed and the crew continued onto Belize, where they made a report to the Cucumber Beach Marina on arrival. They were relieved the pirates had remained non-violent, after not finding the cocaine that they had apparently expected to commandeer.

A courtesy report to the regional British High Commission (consulate) has been made.

Submitted By

Places

Honduras, Nicaragua,

Update History

Date Last Edited

June 19, 2017 - 02:20 PM

Last Edited By

Sue Richards

User Comments

You must register first or be logged-in to leave a comment.
    No comments for this post.

How to use:

To add an anchorage click on the map to place the red marker. Then, click on the red marker to open the add anchorage window.

Terms of Use

Cookie Policy

Privacy Policy

Countries

Subprocessors

© Copyright World Cruising Club

Insert/edit link

Enter the destination URL

Or link to existing content

    No search term specified. Showing recent items. Search or use up and down arrow keys to select an item.