As we reported last fall, the Caribbean Safety and Security Net (CSSN) issues an annual report on criminal and security incidents involving cruisers throughout the Caribbean. To our surprise, for 2024, the British Virgin Islands had a huge surge in thefts from cruising boats.
And, apparently that trend is continuing despite the local government and police announcing that they were cracking down on criminals. Since January 17, just three weeks ago, there have been four thefts from cruising and charter boats in the islands.
On January 17, during the evening, a boat anchored in The Bight at Norman’s Island had a gas can was stolen from a dinghy that had been raised out of the water. The can had not been locked.
On January 21, a motor cruiser anchored off Virgin Gorda’s Spanish Town had an expensive T-Foiling Board stolen from the flybridge, where it was secured but not locked, while the boat’s crew was ashore for dinner. They filed a police report.
On February 1, charter yacht guests tied their Moorings dinghy to the dinghy line at The Baths. When they returned 2 hours later, they found it had been stolen. They reported the situation to their charter base and another dinghy was provided. To their knowledge, the dinghy was not recovered, and their credit card was charged per the contract.
On February 9, a monohull anchored in Tortola’s Fat Hogg’s Bay near Penn’s Landing, had 30 gallons of diesel syphoned from their on-deck tanks. It was between 1000 and 1230, broad daylight. A police report was filed.
So, what’s going on in the BVI? This island group is the charter capital of the Caribbean and has long been considered one of the most crime free countries in the region. It’s one thing to lose a gas can but quite another to have to buy a new dinghy for your charter company. It is time for local authorities to take this crime wave seriously and shut down the thieves.
