Venezuelan pirates attacking yachts.... or not?

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Wonderful bluster from The Telegraph in an article which fails to cite a single instance of a yacht affected by piracy off Venezuela, but somehow equates the concept to internecine wars amongst local fisherman. Just to be safe though, it might be best to sail the region in a non-luxury yacht, if the British media could conceive of such a thing.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/20...rise-attacks-yachts-piracy-returns-caribbean/
 
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Some 15 years ago, my wife and I cruised the N. Venezuela coast on our luxury 1977 built Moody 33. The area is fab, typical Carib seas, deserted islands, tropical warm. Ashore most stuff was very cheap, including diesel at just under 1p a litre. Yup, read that right.

Quite a few fishermen operating off the islands sending catch back on a mother vessel. Sometimes they approached us, just to swap a good fish for a few cigs. we smoked then, was a great swap.

That of course was Venezuela under Chavez. Generally felt safe but aiways an undercurrent of slight tension ashore. Noticable at weekends, local lads would get bladdered on cheap whiskey and get punchy. We kept well clear of that.

Can imagine now that their economy is a basket case then desperate people may do desperate things. I certainly would be much more wary going back. But its always difficult gauging the risk in places from newspapers.....
 
Because of so many attacks and killings in the bays and near the coast nobody goes there now the rule is sail at least 50nms off the coast. The attacks and sailors killings is because drugs are smuggled at night in pirogues near the coast. Yous can see them leave Chaguaramas, Trinidad in the evening and returning at dawn and unloading them. The police and customs are bribed not to interfere.
 
Received today from a friend -
Venezuela is off limits . Has been for a while. Having said that, we're only 35 miles from Venezuela here in Curaçao. That's why I headed straight out to sea from Bequia before bearing south to Curaçao in order to keep a bit more distance. Its a bit dodgy south of Grenada.
 
>Its a bit dodgy south of Grenada.

I know of one boat that was attacked south of Grenada , there will normally be three to four in the pirogue and they carry AK47s, there may have been more. I met an American who was off Venezuela and was approached by a Pirogue and fired an M16 in front of them and scared them off. To see crimes in the Caribbean: https://safetyandsecuritynet.org/
 
Graham376 said:
. Its a bit dodgy south of Grenada
Click to expand...

I know a number of people (myself included) having recently sailed the route Chaguaramas Grenada (or vice versa). I spent by memory a couple of weeks in Chaguaramas, during this period there were about 2-3 yachts leaving and 2-3 yachts arriving *daily* (at least what I saw, so maybe more).
Fwiw, "they say" it's better to leave a bit upwind and if possible pass to the east of the oil platform (Hybiscus?), I left at night, went without ais txr, no navigation lights I just did like fishermen of less colregs oriented countries do: simply flashing a light from time to time.
A lot of "pirate attacks" talks seems to be related to Grenada wishing to grab the hurricane seasons overwintering business which traditionnally went to Trinidad, Chaguaramas was probably working at 20% capacity compared to 5 years earlier. The smaller boat attacked a few years back belongs to the rigger in Chaguaramas (Scandinavian nationality IIRC).
 
I heard an interview with a Venezuelan who said she had to leave the country (she was lucky enough to have family in the US) after she was robbed at gunpoint for the third time.

She first time she thought "it happens, it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, get over it"; she felt shakey after the second time, but wrote it off as "lightening strikes twice" and that now it can't possibly happen again; the third time she thought "that's it - why're you being so stupid staying here?"

I think it was the NRP Planet Money podcast, Episode 731: How Venezuela Imploded: https://www.npr.org/player/embed/498867764/498906957
 
Some years ago we were anchored off the Venezuelan island of Margherita. In the middle of the night the VHF came to life and an agitated voice came over the airwaves 'I think I just shot somebody boarding my boat-what shall I do?' The majority of responders suggested he pull his anchor and 'get the hell out of there'...........
 
I am a full time liveaboard in the Eastern Caribbean. I would happily sail down to Trinidad from Grenada. I might dog leg a little to the East to clear the two oil rigs.

However I would not go anywhere near the Venezuelan coastline. People who are desperate do desperate things to feed their families. 50 miles offshore is regarded as the minimum safe distance for cruisers on their way to the ABCs.

It is a real pity as I visited Venezuela in the 90s and felt safe then even toured the interior on local buses.
 
>It is a real pity as I visited Venezuela in the 90s and felt safe then even toured the interior on local buses.

That's interesting we arrived in the Caribbean in November 2004 and spent two years in Trinidad in hurricane season then decided we decided to see Venezuela and had a brilliant time including seeing Angel Falls and visiting the Warao Indians who live in the jungle alongside the Orinoco river, they showed how they live off the land and fishing They use material from an ant's nest as a mosquito repellent. The last year we went there was 2007 7 people were shot at the café near the marina we went to and the marina manager was shot. From then on we went to Curacao via Bonaire.
 
I was on the coast at Chichiviriche some 15 years ago in a group including Venezuelan friends. This is a small fishing village but we were advised nevertheless to take very great care. Shame, because it's a great place.
 
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