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On November 8, 2008, our friend Ken Peters of S/V Chill
was shot and killed off the island of Borracha, about 5 miles
northwest of Puerto La Cruz (PLC), Venezuela. Ken was shot
after giving water to three men who had approached in a fishing
boat and asked for something to drink. The captain of another
sailboat was also shot and injured. Additional details about
the incident are being withheld until the involved parties
can safely leave Venezuela.
Ken and Cathy with salty cat Trip hailed from the Houston
area in Texas. We met them in Puerto La Cruz and subsequently
traveled with them to Angel Falls and cruised with them during
January of this year, ringing in the New Year at El Oculto
(a place where other friends were subsequently robbed). Last
summer, we took a dinghy trip with them and several other
couples to Borracha. After snorkeling and beachcombing, we
all sat on the beach under a shady tree and enjoyed a picnic
lunch. We took away a nice memory of this lovely spot, never
imagining that one of our group would later be murdered there.
Ken and Cathy, like most cruisers, were always ready to assist
someone in need. Ken spent time advising Nick on several boat
issues. While we were in Merida, he checked on Caribbean
Soul to make sure a last-minute leak in our sea chest
didn't worsen. Ken's death is tragic and cruel, especially
since Cathy had just returned from the States after burying
her mother. We mourn the loss of a fellow traveler and submit
heartfelt prayers that Cathy and the other sailors involved
can recover from this traumatic event.
We sailed to Venezuela in July 2007 with no small amount
of trepidation. Venezuela has long had a bad reputation for
security, but our other option for hurricane season, Trinidad,
had also experienced problems the previous season. For the
first six months, life was good for all of us first-time visitors
to Venezuela. No piracy had been reported, the exchange rate
for dollars was high, products and labor were cheap, the people
were friendly, and the country was beautiful.
Our feeling of safety started deteriorating in January 2008
when a rash of violent attacks were reported against cruising
yachts in Venezuela. One of these armed boardings took place
in Porlamar, Margarita Island, while we were there. As the
year continued, more attacks and thefts took place, especially
in Porlamar. In July, Peter on S/V Stargazer was killed
in Porlamar when a speeding piñero (local fishing
boat) ran over him and his wife while they crossed the harbor
in their dinghy. In September, a French cruiser was murdered
in Carabellada on the Venezuelan mainland, where he and his
family had gone for hurricane season. Ken is the third captain
killed this year in Venezuela. Others have been beaten and
robbed. See the
Safety and Security Net Web site for a list of crimes
reported by cruising yachts in Venezuela and other Caribbean
countries. These reports clearly show that the level of violence
occurring in Venezuela is much higher than anywhere else in
the Caribbean.
Venezuela should be the perfect cruising grounds for sailors,
and we feel fortunate to have experienced its coastal and
inland beauty without coming to any harm. However, due to
the escalating violence, we must strongly discourage other
sailors from visiting Venezuela. So far, the western offshore
islands of Blanquilla, Tortuga, the Roques, and the Aves have
been safe and are spectacular destinations rivaling the beauty
of the Bahamas. Nonetheless, we advise caution anywhere in
Venezuela. The mainland, nearshore islands, and Margarita
island should be avoided. Cruisers should understand that
Venezuela has a long history of corruption, poverty, and violent
crime, which sadly has not improved under a decade of socialist
governance. Americans and foreigners are not targeted specifically.
The criminals most often kidnap, rob, and kill their own people.
We've known quite a few of their victims.
If our logs about Venezuela have encouraged some of you to
visit, then we must regretfully urge you not to do so. We
hope for the sake of the many wonderful people who live in
Venezuela that they will someday live in safety and prosperity.
Further reading about crime in Venezuela:
Murder
Capitals of the World (Foreign Policy Magazine,
September 2008)
Venezuela's
murder rates surpass Colombia's under Hugo Chavez (Telegraph,
October 12, 2008)
Report of Murders Per Capita (NationMaster)
Venezuela:
Human Rights Suffer Under Chavez (Human Rights Watch)
Street
protests target soaring Venezuelan crime rate (Miami
Herald, October 21, 2008)
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Ken and Cathy of S/V Chill
La Borracha anchorage
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