Venezuelan Coast Guard Recovers Sailboat Stolen from St. Vincent Anchorage

Now, All Her Owner Has To Do Is Figure Out How To Get Her Home

Peter Swanson May 14

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Rudolpho Alexander of St. Vincent & the Grenadines was gratified to learn that his boat, stolen from the anchorage at Frigate Island on Saturday, has been recovered by authorities in Venezuela.

Alexander, owner of the Famous Liquor & Smoke Shop, said the Venezuela Coast Guard had notified their St. Vincent counterparts that they have possession of the CS 40 sloop named Great Habit. And that’s about all he knows, not even her precise location in that troubled South American nation.

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Today he was wondering what kind of bureaucratic hurdles and expense will face trying to recover his boat from a place that has long been a no-go for foreign sailors. Alexander does not speak Spanish.

“Well, I’m just waiting for an update from the Coast Guard. I hope it’s not going to cost me too much now,” Alexander told Loose Cannon. “I may just have to leave it, or try to sell it or something.”

Alexander said he found Great Habit on a dock in Carriacou where she lay with hurricane damage in 2024. He bought her from a man at the boatyard who had acquired the boat either from the previous Canadian owners or their insurance company. He kept the Great Habit name.

Venezuela has several Coast Guard bases a one or two day reach from St. Vincent, including at La Iguana Island, Barcelona, La Guaira (near Caracas), Carúpano, and Margarita Island.