Pirate Attack on Sailboat in Quepos

At least six masked pirates boarded a sailboat anchored near Quepos on Oct.15 and tied up the three people aboard with duct tape and wires, threatened them, and then looted the boat according to a boating newsletter.

The incident was first reported in The Log newspaper, a newspaper that covers boating relating to Southern California. The alleged victims are from Dana Point, Calif. The 50-foot sailboat named Two Amigos belongs to U.S. boater Bruce Stevens and a partner. The pirates stole three computers, three cell phones, cash, an outboard motor and the boat’s dinghy, according to The Log. They also stripped the vessel of all electronic equipment including a radar, a chartplotter, three VHF radios, two ham radios, a modem, an inverter and a copy machine. Stevens estimates the losses to be worth $12,000 and has no insurance to cover the theft.

Stevens, an ex-marine, was below deck with his partner and Salvadoran girlfriend watching a movie when the bandits boarded the boat armed with shotguns and pistols.

The pirates restrained the three boaters, threatened to kill them and then spent 90 minutes pillaging the boat. They also reportedly threatened to rape the only woman aboard, but she dissuaded them by talking about her four sons.

After breaking free of his bonds, Stevens went ashore in a small dinghy and was able to recover the heavy outboard motor and larger dinghy, which had been abandoned on the rocks.The Tico Times placed multiple calls with the Coast Guard to confirm the report but the calls were not answered. Costa Rica’s La Nacion had a report Sunday saying the Coast Guard confirmed the attack.

Stevens told The Log that the thieves spent several days watching the Two Amigos, waiting for an opportune high tide after dark in order to make the robbery and subsequent escape up the nearby Boca Vieja estuary. The estuary on the north side of Quepos, which is inaccessible at low tide, serves as an entrance to miles of mangrove channels and islands.

At the time of writing Quepos police were unavailable for comment. A Quepos marina would not confirm the report either.