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rognvald · 14-04-2015, 15:42

So,
For those of you that have intimate knowledge of this area, what could this couple have done to avoid their, perhaps, near death experience?

Jon Eisberg · 14-04-2015, 16:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by belizesailor

The "Burglary Bay" moniker is a bit dated for Utila. That was put to an end a number of years ago and to my knowledge there haven't been any significant problems since. I was there in 2011 & 2012 and there were no current problems. Spent several days in the main anchorage at Utila. Agree not the best, but Utila is a fun funky little island to explore...rented an ATV and rode all over the island.

That's good to hear... I was there about 6 years ago, and unattended boats were even being boarded during daytime, back then, and rumor had it that the port captain and other local officials were part of the 'ring'...

Quote:

Originally Posted by belizesailor

The Bay Islands are culturally different than mainland Honduras...just ask any Bay Islander...many still think of themselves as English and blame crime problems on the Spanish from the mainland.

The Bay Islands are not totally without trouble (see past reports on sites referenced above), but much less risky than mainland Honduras. Guanaja in particular is an unlikely place to have problems. There has been one attack ever on a cruising boat there that I know of and the local authorities apprehended the guys before they managed to get off the island (obviously not the brightest guys to comit a crime on a very small island).

I plan to sail back home to the Rio in another season or two and pass thru the Bay Islands again, but will take a more northerly route from there...probably up to Belize first and then down the Belizean coast to the Rio.

It is a shame so much bad stuff has migrated out to the Bay Islands from the mainland, it really is a pretty cool place, especially if one is big into diving...

I loved Guanaja, and going around to the north side is awesome... And "Graham's Place" on Josh's Cay still rates close to the top of my list of alltime favorite cruiser's hangouts, a fantastic spot...

I was there at the same time as Dave and Sherry on SOGGY PAWS, here's their write-up of the place...

Cruising with Soggy Paws: Josh's Cay, Guanaja, Honduras

Jon Eisberg · 14-04-2015, 16:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by rognvald

So,
For those of you that have intimate knowledge of this area, what could this couple have done to avoid their, perhaps, near death experience?

They were sailing from somewhere in Belize to Roatan, as I understand it...

In prevailing conditions, sailing on starboard tack once clear of the reef off Belize until you fetch the layline for the west end of Roatan might be one pretty simple way to have managed it... :-)

Or, heaving-to or staying offshore for the night, instead of closing the coast to "avoid the stormy seas" by anchoring could have been another...

colemj · 14-04-2015, 19:08

They didn't say what their route was, but if they came out of Belize around the Sapadillo Cays, then the route to Roatan is only 10-13nm off Punta Sal. It is difficult to come out of southern Belize or Guatemala without passing close to this area. This is the first I have heard of anyone having trouble simply passing by - most trouble is on the mainland bay itself. Literally hundreds of boats each year travel that route.

If they left Belize from further north, then they would have been far away from that area.

Utilla is much different now than in the past. The anchoring still sucks, but the theft is way down. It is a funky and unique island to explore.

Mark

IdoraKeeper · 14-04-2015, 19:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by rognvald

You love your red beret don't you, Boatman. Bush was certainly no Rhodes Scholar but he was honest enough to release his grades to the public. We still have no report on "O The Untouchable." I guess that's what they call Truth and Transparency or "Change You Can Believe In." This, to the political detractors, IS boating related since "O" crossed the Pacific to finish his schooling! I heard he surfed the whole distance wearing a backpack and without a break. Perhaps he was following some sort of smoky contrail. Good Luck, good sailing, may the power of the Little Red Book live with you forever. R

Yep..untouchable due to superior intellect and respect for facts..no red beret required.

belizesailor · 14-04-2015, 19:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by rognvald

So,
For those of you that have intimate knowledge of this area, what could this couple have done to avoid their, perhaps, near death experience?

Get NE as much as possible along the Belizean coast and then take a SE route to the Bay Islands. Prevailing Trades are usually NE. If you stage out to Lighthouse Atoll (a beautiful place to visit anyway) then its only about 75nm to West End Roatan and this route keeps you almost 60nm off Punta Sal.

If coming from the Rio Dulce directly its hard to avoid the Punta Sal area by a wide enough margin to make it unlikely a small boat can easily run out to you.

From Bay Islands to Belize you could make for Gladden Spit cut, have a great off the wind run, and still stay around 40nm off Punta Sal. That's still well outside of their visual range.

CarlF · 14-04-2015, 20:28

These folks were not offshore. They were planning to anchor for the night alone off what I assume is a deserted section of the Honduras coast. Not a populated harbor. No other cruising boats around.

Really?

I wouldn't do this. I also wouldn't walk through a large US urban park alone at 2AM or sail off Cape Hatteras in February.

And for perspective, piracy is defined as robbery at sea. There were 447,403 armed robberies on land in the US in 2006. In too many of those cases someone was hurt. And 1,192,809 cars were reported stolen in the US in 2006.

Fortunately, in this case no one was hurt and the property stolen was worth far less than a car.

colemj · 15-04-2015, 05:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarlF

These folks were not offshore. They were planning to anchor for the night alone off what I assume is a deserted section of the Honduras coast. Not a populated harbor. No other cruising boats around.
.

Where did this info come from? I read that they were attacked during a passage on a direct route from southern Belize to Roatan. I may have missed that they were heading to punta sal to anchor for the night. If this is so, then it was a bad decision.

Mark

Jon Eisberg · 15-04-2015, 06:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by colemj

Where did this info come from? I read that they were attacked during a passage on a direct route from southern Belize to Roatan. I may have missed that they were heading to punta sal to anchor for the night. If this is so, then it was a bad decision.

Mark

From the article linked to in Post #15...

I was stunned to read this, as well... Pretty stupid move, literally begging for trouble...

Quote:

They were attacked just a day later, and less than a day away from their destination, when they moved to anchor closer to the Honduran shoreline to avoid stormy seas for the night. It was about 5:00 p.m. on March 28.

Reinholdt said the four men in a fishing boat came after their vessel as they went to anchor for the night.

Canadian couple chronicles pirate attack survival story on video | Globalnews.ca

belizesailor · 15-04-2015, 07:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by colemj

Where did this info come from? I read that they were attacked during a passage on a direct route from southern Belize to Roatan. I may have missed that they were heading to punta sal to anchor for the night. If this is so, then it was a bad decision.

Mark

Quote from article:

"... They were attacked just a day later, and less than a day away from their destination, when they moved to anchor closer to the Honduran shoreline to avoid stormy seas for the night. It was about 5:00 p.m. on March 28."

If correct, this was indeed a foolish move....better to stay underway in a bit of bad weather than risk moving in close to the coast.

Wonder if they met their captain on CF?

rognvald · 15-04-2015, 08:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by IdoraKeeper

Yep..untouchable due to superior intellect and respect for facts..no red beret required.

Idora,
I do believe we have something in common . . . we both believe it's important to start the day with a laugh . . . thanks, I owe YOU one! Good luck, good sailing . . . and by the way . . . have you been following those smoky contrails on your boat? They say it's unhealthy and it blurs your vision. May I suggest a cold dip close to home. They say the frigid water has amazing recuperative benefits. Sincerely, Dr. Rognvald, in post diagnostic phase.

colemj · 15-04-2015, 18:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Eisberg

From the article linked to in Post #15...

Thanks, I saw that link as being a video and I don't have the bandwidth for video so I didn't follow it. Turns out there is a video, but also a full story.

They made a mistake attempting to anchor in punta sal, for sure.

Mark

cards26 · 17-04-2015, 18:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by rognvald

So,
For those of you that have intimate knowledge of this area, what could this couple have done to avoid their, perhaps, near death experience?

I've been away for awhile, and the other thread was closed; I think unfairly, but I like the idea of the flash wallet, or in this case, the flash briefcase. Believe me, it works.

It's where you print up a bunch of phony bills on your printer, and in the dark of the night, with the thieves adrenaline all pumped up, they take the bait and run, and then you have some serious laughs after they leave.