May 15, 2020 Depart Key Largo, avoiding pirates while heading to the Panama Canal

May 15, 2020 - Depart Key Largo Harbor Marina at 3:30 pm.  Crossing the Straits of Florida was benign with Niki catching a blue marlin with Erik Camo’s help.  Heading into the Caribbean Sea waves will become more of a challenge with wind out of the ESE and 5 – 7 foot seas abeam as we look back towards Key Largo.




Next big challenge is avoiding the pirates in the area of Nicaragua.  An example of a recent event follows where the pirates boarded a boat underway and made off with electronics, dinghy, life raft, diving equipment and other loose gear while the crew locked themselves below for safety.

https://safetyandsecuritynet.org/category/reports/nicaragua/
April, 2019. A Canadian flagged yacht with 4 persons onboard departed Roatan, Honduras for Isla Providencia, Colombia. At 1742 HRS, at a position of 14-50N, 82-47W, approximately 23 miles ESE of Cabo Gracias a Dios, they were approached by 2 local fishing boats (pangas) with about 10-12 men. Initially they asked for food and drink, which the crew provided. The 2 pangas drifted back a bit and were seen making calls on handheld VHF radios. Two (2) additional pangas then arrived, and all 4 (now 20-25 men in total) surrounded the yacht, and began ramming the yacht, damaging the stern ladder and swim platform, damaging the hull on both sides, and then began boarding the yacht.




  

Positive events - I think we have a guardian angel:
  • Avoided pirates off Nicaragua - possibly the sea state help to discourage any nearby pangas
  • Geary and Lois make the right choice to step off 
  • We were able to find a harbor where we could stop and evaluate the boat and crew
Location: Atlantic Ocean

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