On Tuesday 13 July 2010, two Durban sailors anchored off Barra Lodge, near Inhambane in Mozambique, awoke during the night to find a man with a knife about to cut their fuel line. The man had already stolen several items when Brad Bride and Cyril Foley, both 43, became aware of his presence on the boat.

The men had left the Point Yacht Club, Durban, on Tuesday 6 July, to deliver the yacht “Wharf Rat” to its new owner in Pemba, Mozambique. On their way, they had problems with the yacht´s engine and anchored off Barra Lodge to fix it and rest before sailing on.

Foley said, “We had been at sea for about eight days, so we decided to put our anchor down and sleep… In the middle of the night, a guy swam out from another boat or a dinghy and climbed on to our yacht with a really big, sharp knife and robbed us. Brad wrestled with the guy and he dropped his knife and jumped back in the water.”

Foley said there was no moon that night and they could not tell if the man had been alone or part of a gang. “He stole our fishing gear, three big canisters of diesel, clothes, and small items, and when we woke up he was busy cutting our gas pipe. He was obviously swimming the stuff across to his boat,” he said.

Foley said they were “petrified” and sailed on despite the broken motor.