The Manicou Report

A reader in England (who always sends me some good stuff) sent me this excerpt a couple days ago from a story carried in this month’s issue of Yachting World. The story is about the crime wave in the Caribbean and more specifically Trinidad & Tobago. Yay, at last we get recognized for something right?

Now, Yachting World is referred to as the oldest, most read, and most widely circulated magazine about sailing there is on the market. And that makes me wonder how important is the yachting industry in Chagauramas to Trinidad and how much does Trinidad stand to lose from the backlash coming from the publication of this article?

Of course I don’t mind that it was printed, but it’s worthy of note that our crime wave has more observers than we’re willing to acknowledge.

I’m not sure if it’s the whole story, but what the person sent to me is as follows. (Unfortunately the story itself was not printed on Yachting World’s website, although tidbits on this month’s issue were posted.

Crime wave in the Caribbean
The yachting community in Trinidad is
increasingly targeted for thefts and gunpoint raids.
Katherine Gilbert reports

AFTER ARRIVING in Trinidad on 15 August ready for two months of yacht maintenance, I was alarmed to hear of the increase in armed robberies on yachts and aboard the local ‘maxi’ taxis. Only two days after arriving in Trinidad, at 0300, sailing yacht Vestler was boarded by three men who held the crew at gunpoint and stripped the yacht of valuables. As the only crew member on board our yacht, it was unsettling to listen to the Mayday and unnerving that it took the coastguard around two hours to respond.

Worrying statistics

Reports of the Yachting Services Association of Trinidad and Tobago (YSATT) record that in the last half of May, five dinghies were stolen from boats and one robbery was foiled. It may have been coincidence but the crew that foiled the robbery found their dog floating dead in the bay. In July, five dinghies plus engines and two generators were stolen from boats at anchor and in marinas, even though the dinghies were chained, locked and/or lifted out of the water.

In addition, two boats were broken into, robbed and vandalised. Nor were boats the only targets. A yachtsman was robbed at gunpoint at 1000, when two men boarded a maxi-taxi near Tropical Marine. Their target seems to have been someone who had just left and ATM with a pocketful of cash. However, many more crimes have gone unreported to YSATT and are therefore not included in this summary.

So far the relevant authorities have done nothing substantial to address the issue, forcing individuals and concerned groups to set up their own night-watch systems.. These have helped to prevent some crimes, but it’s a losing battle against armed robbers.

Did you notice the part where it said that it took the coast guard 2 hours to respond? That’s my favourite part. A little worrying eh?