First person report by the skipper who was boarded and robbed on 24 May 2015.

I was anchored in the River Manamo opposite my friend’s casa (about 100m from the bank) about 5 miles from Boca de Uracoa.

I had been there for a few days.

I was asleep in my bunk in the aft cabin when 6 men boarded my vessel. I immediately got up to find out what was going on and one of the men pointed a gun at me. I pulled a towel around my waist and climbed into the cockpit.

They tied my hands together and pulled a shirt over my head so that I couldn’t see them.

I was detained by the one with a gun whilst the others ransacked my boat – two in the aft cabin and three

in the main cabin. This lasted about 45 minutes and then they left in a wooden boat that I found out later they had previously stolen from my friend’s jetty (without an outboard motor).

I untied my hands and called to my friends for help. Well, they could do nothing as their boat was

missing. Two youngsters swam out and we launched my little dinghy. Meanwhile, the bandits had made off down the river.

It appeared to me that they went straight to my strong box which was stowed under my bunk. This is most suspicious as I was boarded by the Guardia Fronteria two days prior and the sergeant had made me unlock the strongbox and show him the contents (all my valuables).

The previous time that I was boarded (in Pampatar, Margarita, 27 June 2008) they stole my Kruger

Rands (gold coins) and this time I lost my silver coins amongst other things. During the 2008 boarding I put up resistance and was injured – this time I just relaxed and did not resist as the odds of 6:1 was not good at all. I was not harmed, just a little shaken up.

I suppose that we who have yachts are considered “Rich”; and did Mr Chavez not tell his people that they have not’s “may take from the have’s'”? Needless to say, there was no follow up from telephoned reports to the Guardia.

My prime reason for recording the incident is to warn cruisers of the possibility of boardings. I shall return to the river Manamo where I have been visiting for upward of 5 years, as I have made some good friends there and this was, in my opinion, an isolated incident.

Ian Middleton

SY Leila