[I]The world is becoming a much smaller place.[/I]
[B][FONT=Arial]American tourist slain on sailboat in Venezuela[/FONT][/B]
[B][/B]
[FONT=Arial]CARACAS, Venezuela – An American tourist was shot and killed, and a friend wounded, in an apparent robbery attempt aboard a sailboat on Venezuela's Caribbean coast, police said Monday.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Kenneth Dale Peters, 55, was shot by armed men who boarded his sailboat to rob him and his passengers Saturday night, authorities said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Peters apparently tried to defend himself with a gun and wounded one of the attackers, who got away, regional police chief Gustavo Palacios said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Also wounded was Stephen Davis, 63, a friend of Peters. Police said he was recovering at a hospital.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Peters was visiting Venezuela on a tourist trip along with his wife, Palacios said. Authorities were making arrangements with the family to return his body to the United States.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Peters' sailboat, "Chill," was anchored off a small island in Mochima, a national park along Venezuela's northeastern coast. It was unclear if the intruders stole anything from the boat.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]He and Davis had planned to leave in separate boats that night to return to the United States, Palacios said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Details about the victim, including his hometown, weren't immediately available. The U.S. Embassy confirmed the death of an American but did not release any additional information.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Palacios said at least three suspects used motorboats, one of which was found and seized by police.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Tourists and fishermen have complained that a lack of coastal patrols is making the area around the park unsafe.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]A French tourist was killed Sept. 15 aboard a sailboat off Vargas state, near Caracas.[/FONT]
Allan Rex
# 2216
against carrying a gun on board. Apparently, Peters pulled a gun on the robbers and they shot him before he could shoot them. The fact that they didn't shoot the others on the boat would seem to indicate that they had not intended on murdering anybody. Of course, it is terrible that he was killed, but if he hadn't had a gun on board, he may well be alive today.
SF Bay
1998 C36
John, I agree, however I would imagine this could be very debatable by many others as opinions vary widely here.
Allan Rex
# 2216
You can tell this is the always- civil C36IA forum and not a general Internet forum. In the latter, there would have been 100 flaming posts on this since 2/11/09.
Duane Ising - Past Commodore (2011-2012)
s/v Diva Di
1999 Catalina 36 Hull #1777
Std rig; wing keel, M35B, Delta (45#)
Punta Gorda, FL
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/diva-di/
One problem of foreign travel is in many countries, like the U.S., the accused has the right to be faced by his accuser. If the victim does not return for the trial to testify against his accuser in most cases the accused goes free. These thieves know this. Therefore, cops and prosecutors are reluctant to spend a lot of time on crimes against foreigners knowing they will not come back for the trial. This is especially true in third world countries.
__/)__/)__/)__Capt Mike__/)__/)__/)__
Punta Gorda Florida
1990 Std WK M35 Hull #1050
There are as many arguments for as there are against having a gun onboard. I think the biggest consideration would be what waters we are talking about here.
Glenn Druhot
Carpe Diem
New Bern, NC
35* 6' 10" N / 77* 2' 30" W
2001 C36, Hull #1965
Std Rig; Wing Keel; M35B
I am not in favor of gun control and am not "anti-gun"; in fact, in the past I often thought that if I went cruising I might carry one. But I'm simply going by what the odds appear to be. It would be interesting to do a scientific study of what per centage of sailors were killed if they didn't carry a gun vs. what per centage were if they did carry (and display) a gun in the case of robberies. My impression is that the odds of being killed or wounded increase if a sailor has a gun on board.
Maybe you can beat these odds, but not being a gun expert, I'll go with the odds. One thing: If you carry a gun, and you display it, you'd better be prepared to use it and fast. Pulling a gun on somebody is no joke and it's not like in poker where the result of having a bluff called is just losing some money at worst.
Then there's the whole other legal tangle. If you pull a gun, chances are you will have to shoot somebody, and if it's in another country, are you prepared to spend months, maybe even years, involved in legal entanglements? In some countries, such as Mexico, the cost of paying all the bribes involved could well be greater than the cost of letting thieves steal what they want.
SF Bay
1998 C36
Be aware, although the laws differ from state to state in the U.S., most states do not allow the use of a gun to protect property. Use of deadly force is only authorized if you feel your life or the life of someone you are with is at risk. You can be sure if you ever use it you are going to be in a legal mess. One way I like to think about it is only use it if it is a clear choice between being a live defendent or dead victim.
If you are cruising in international waters, many countries absolutely forbid entry with a weapon on board, regardless of whether you have a permit from a U.S. state (Canada for example).
In any event, don't even consider it without taking a CCW course and getting lots of practice in the use of the weapon. It is not something to take lightly.
Fred Aylstock
S/V Neptune's Court #1023
Washington - Puget Sound
1989 C36