Boat Attacked in St. Croix Waters; Sailor Seriously Injured

No need for your response, either, OT.
Obviously, Islandthyme was very affected by her interaction with this couple who endured such a terrible experience.

Dude you are a dim one yes..........Did you not read my post,

FACT met wife & later the injured husband of said boat

FACT was involved heavily in the matter, but due to confidentially clauses in my contract I can NOT give out the fine details

FACT I stand by my comment you are a shameful cruel person!!!

This my last response to you Sparty as you are incapable of being human...................

My cyborgness is now know to the world. I guess being a human involves blindly believing a sketchy story with very few facts. Btw, you FACTS would be considered heresay. Have a blessed evening. I'm going to go recharge my CPU and oil my mechanical joints.

Islandtyme was neither hysterical nor rude, however the responses of a select few others were most assuredly rude, and characteristically so, as well.

...
As for my opinion ....

A single-handed sailor in the Caribbean would have some type of gun on board. I can't imagine that passage without some type of backup plan.

Also, note a single-handed sailor has a fool for a crew.

I just can't let this go without a response. You seem intent on maligning single-handed sailors.

Many folks sail solo, myself included at times, and they do so safely in all parts of the world. It takes planning, experience, knowledge, and self responsibility. And as for your comment on guns, its way off base. The majority of cruisers sailing the Caribbean do so without weapons on board. It's just not worth the effort, or risk.

Please elaborate on your obvious vast sailing experience and enlighten us further. I'd like to hear how you handle sailing the Caribbean and clearing in and out of ports with firearms on-board. Otherwise please refrain from making general statements without accurate knowledge. Disparaging solo-sailors as gun toting fools is just sad.

An experienced sailor suffered a gunshot wound at sea off the south coast of St. Croix - an area known for drug trafficking. While some may question his story, odds are he was the victim of a crime. A month has gone by and the VIPD seems disinterested at best and the 'press' is only now starting to catch on. That is where the real outrage should be directed. This is just one more case that will quietly drift away like excrement pumped from a holding tank so as to avoid a stink. Sinking slowly to the bottom of the pile of unsolved violent crimes.

I am a huge fan of the sport of single-handed sailing. I've even attended the start of the Vendee Globe in France. I'm sure you as a single-hander know of this. The participants in this race are extraordinary professional sailors - the best in the world - but each year of the race at least a handful end up with their boats seriously damaged, turtled and/or sunk. Most incidents occur when the sailors are below deck and no one is on watch.

The first thing anyone learns in Sailing 101 is that solo sailing is risky and ill-advised. But there still are those who think vast sailing resumes can overcome the elements, manmade obstacles and plain bad luck and proceed anyway.

Would a second set of eyes and ears - maybe younger and keener - have kept this sailor safe? I don't know but possibly. Would the presence of another person on board the sailboat have detracted the bad guys? I don't know but possibly.

I've never had a gun on board of the boats I have owned and sailed. I don't own a gun. However, I'm not, and never will be, a risk-taking solo sailor.

But I have witnessed bad guys, guns, drugs and power boats from the deck of a sailboat in Belize (example of plain bad luck). They weren't interested in us though - they were interested in transporting drugs FAST. But we had 4 people on board, too, which made us even more uninteresting.

I am a huge fan of the sport of single-handed sailing. I've even attended the start of the Vendee Globe in France. I'm sure you as a single-hander know of this. The participants in this race are extraordinary professional sailors - the best in the world - but each year of the race at least a handful end up with their boats seriously damaged, turtled and/or sunk. Most incidents occur when the sailors are below deck and no one is on watch.

The first thing anyone learns in Sailing 101 is that solo sailing is risky and ill-advised. But there still are those who think vast sailing resumes can overcome the elements, manmade obstacles and plain bad luck and proceed anyway.

Would a second set of eyes and ears - maybe younger and keener - have kept this sailor safe? I don't know but possibly. Would the presence of another person on board the sailboat have detracted the bad guys? I don't know but possibly.

I've never had a gun on board of the boats I have owned and sailed. I don't own a gun. However, I'm not, and never will be, a risk-taking solo sailor.

But I have witnessed bad guys, guns, drugs and power boats from the deck of a sailboat in Belize (example of plain bad luck). They weren't interested in us though - they were interested in transporting drugs FAST. But we had 4 people on board, too, which made us even more uninteresting.

My CPU says. This computes. This computes.

Some people are risk takers. We can't change that.
What is important here is that piracy is extremely rare in VI, Wiindward and Leaward islands. Practically unheard of in this waters. So this incident involving use of firearms, daytime attack, so close to US territory is very disturbing. Once this happens and law enforcement does not step up to the plate, this rampant crime will proliferate.

Some people are risk takers. We can't change that.
What is important here is that piracy is extremely rare in VI, Wiindward and Leaward islands. Practically unheard of in this waters. So this incident involving use of firearms, daytime attack, so close to US territory is very disturbing. Once this happens and law enforcement does not step up to the plate, this rampant crime will proliferate.

We - the general public - do know the sailor suffered a serious gunshot wound on his boat and that he was treated at Luis on STX. We - the general public - don't know what law enforcement has or has not done. All we have is a report of this incident on a sailing blog and what was published in the VI Source. We are not privy to enough facts to determine whether or not this was piracy.

If you thought I was rude, sorry but after dealing with the couple, looking into her eyes as she trembled crying barely able to speak, while the husband fought for life in ICU, seeing the condition of the vessel then have others mock or doubt irks me yes. So the soapbox is where I will stand thank you.

(tu)

If you thought I was rude, sorry but after dealing with the couple, looking into her eyes as she trembled crying barely able to speak, while the husband fought for life in ICU, seeing the condition of the vessel then have others mock or doubt irks me yes. So the soapbox is where I will stand thank you.

Appeal to emotion arguments aren't facts.

Neither are stupid comments.

It seems to me that some who are concerned with just the facts are full of opinionated, judgmental and accusatory comments that seem to drift far from "facts". I'm trying very hard to maintain my image of a perfect, peaceful and loving island home to be.

As a sailor myself I am appalled at this incident. yes it is rare and let's hope its not a trend. i knew a couple that was ambushed in the Grenadines, just horrible but the kids that did it were caught rather quickly. We don't know everything but if it did happen we should all worry. did the VIPD drop the ball, we don't know, as with may crimes here some of the people doing it are relatives of the PD, maybe that's why no action.. Will the kids that did it be caught? Doubtful.

Bump

Any updates on the injured sailor or the hunt for the elusive "2 Hispanic and 1 black male"? I'll wait for apologies from all that attacked me for saying story was fishy.

For a chuckle why not ask DPNR? According to the commissioners testimony as justification for jacking up mooring and anchoring fees (b**s***) they are responsible for enforcing our marine borders - Yea right!

Do you have more information about the incident? Or are you just wanting to stir the pot.

Do you have more information about the incident? Or are you just wanting to stir the pot.

A valid point was raised. Do a search and you'll find that only a handful of sources reported the alleged incident, all of these reports repeating the first "newsbreak" and not one doing a followup. Oh, wait, it's a conspiracy and cover-up. How could that have eluded me. :S

Do you have more information about the incident? Or are you just wanting to stir the pot.

A valid point was raised. Do a search and you'll find that only a handful of sources reported the alleged incident, all of these reports repeating the first "newsbreak" and not one doing a followup. Oh, wait, it's a conspiracy and cover-up. How could that have eluded me. :S

I'm just curious. It seems awfully dangerous to have 3 armed men viciously attacking random boaters. Maybe the sailor should have had a side piece.. Oh wait, he apparently did

Do you have more information about the incident? Or are you just wanting to stir the pot.

A valid point was raised. Do a search and you'll find that only a handful of sources reported the alleged incident, all of these reports repeating the first "newsbreak" and not one doing a followup. Oh, wait, it's a conspiracy and cover-up. How could that have eluded me. :S

Do a search on any one of the murders that occur here and you'll get similar results - a couple of articles about the incident and then nothing. No follow-up by media, little to no resolution by the authorities. Why would you expect different in this incident?

It's not conspiracy, it's lousy police work and a 4th estate that is always chasing the 'new' story.

this is the case. there are a lot of crimes not even covered in the local papers

Do you have more information about the incident? Or are you just wanting to stir the pot.

A valid point was raised. Do a search and you'll find that only a handful of sources reported the alleged incident, all of these reports repeating the first "newsbreak" and not one doing a followup. Oh, wait, it's a conspiracy and cover-up. How could that have eluded me. :S

Do a search on any one of the murders that occur here and you'll get similar results - a couple of articles about the incident and then nothing. No follow-up by media, little to no resolution by the authorities. Why would you expect different in this incident?

It's not conspiracy, it's lousy police work and a 4th estate that is always chasing the 'new' story.

Do a search on any one of the murders that occur here and you'll get similar results - a couple of articles about the incident and then nothing. No follow-up by media, little to no resolution by the authorities. Why would you expect different in this incident?

It's not conspiracy, it's lousy police work and a 4th estate that is always chasing the 'new' story.

Very few people even bother to look for any follow-ups of anything (some aren't even here long enough to read the follow ups which are sometimes a few years coming just as they are elsewhere) and the HUGE difference here is that this isn't a local murder with only the VIPD involved but an alleged maritime assault in which the USCG is also involved. When you can find more information other than the one account which has been repeated verbatim by less than a handful of sources, do share. Nothing in the foreign press, nothing in Caribbean press other than a brief mention as a tail to a documented attack down island, nothing in stateside press other than on a couple of sailing sites ...

Do a search on any one of the murders that occur here and you'll get similar results - a couple of articles about the incident and then nothing. No follow-up by media, little to no resolution by the authorities. Why would you expect different in this incident?

It's not conspiracy, it's lousy police work and a 4th estate that is always chasing the 'new' story.

Very few people even bother to look for any follow-ups of anything (some aren't even here long enough to read the follow ups which are sometimes a few years coming just as they are elsewhere) and the HUGE difference here is that this isn't a local murder with only the VIPD involved but an alleged maritime assault in which the USCG is also involved. When you can find more information other than the one account which has been repeated verbatim by less than a handful of sources, do share. Nothing in the foreign press, nothing in Caribbean press other than a brief mention as a tail to a documented attack down island, nothing in stateside press other than on a couple of sailing sites ...

No pirates. No criminal charges. Just people caught up in their own bad juju.

If a crime happened at sea, and there was no evidence or follow up, did it really happen?

If a crime happened at sea, and there was no evidence or follow up, did it really happen?

Why would you assume there was a crime? Why would you assume it happened at sea?