  Karte gross |
Warnung vor Navimca, Cumana, Venezuela
Astrid Schwalk und Dieter Schreiber, SY WINDLISE
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Von: bernie katchor [byaustralia31@hotmail.com] Gesendet: Dienstag, 18. Juni 2003 23:20 here is the story / REMEMBER if you want it like home stay there Presently Anchored at Porlamar Margarita Venezuela At 5.45 a.m. Thursday June 13th we cleared the shallow entrance of Navimca Boatyard breakwater having spent the night anchored inside the small harbour tightly locked below for our security. A dolphin jumped high grinnng at us lifting our depressed spirits a little. We had just suffered the most horrendous experience in 36 years of cruising. We had once again left our boat Australia 31 at Navimca Boatyard in Cumuna, Venezuela We had said goodbye to Australia 31 there on six occasions. On Saturday May 25th we arrived back at Navimca at 5.45 a.m after flying into Caracas and taking an overnight bus to Cumuna. Through the guardhouse and past the first boat, we caught sight of Australia 31 and immediately noticed the radar antenna was missing from high on the mizzen mast. Luis the guard found a ladder and we climbed aboard. All seemed in order but on trying to unlock the padlocks, one hasp had been broken and on the other side, the padeye had been jemmied open and reassembled to look normal. We looked below - the boat was trashed, cupboards open, things scattered everywhere, lots of items obviously missing even at first glance. We had been robbed of almost everything of value - the nav station was empty of radios, pactor, radar, both computers, electronic charts,CD player and earphones. Galley gear, liferaft, flares, overboard box contents, even a large insulated deck box, sheets (both nautical and bed), over nine hundred individual items all gone. To find personal, irreplaceable items such as Yvonne's beautiful silver flute and 400 classical music CD's missing had us holding each other in tears. A full truckload of gear had gone off our boat and our only asset in the world was wrecked. It was an emotional job producing a list for the police who came from many areas of the force , scientific, general and detectives. ( we are still finding items to add ). An excellent accurate and truthful interpreter, Pietro, helped us talk with the police on the boat and at the police station. Navimca put us into a hotel for 2 nights whilst police searched for clues such as fingerprints aboard. Navimca promised to translate our list into Spanish as requested by the police. Navimca delayed this eventually refusing to translate our list so we had to organise it ourselves. Thus it was two weeks before the police had a list of what items were stolen. Navimca advised they are uninsured. Our insurers comfirmed we were not insured for personal items, the majority of the theft and requested a copy of the Boatyard contract. For 7 days we were denied a copy of the contract. We were also unable to obtain any information on progress of the case. Patricia Neri (who with her husband Georgio Neri are the owners of Navimca) was the police contact and we were denied information from her. The lesson here is the victim should report the case and keep control of the investigation and keep the case open and active. We were the ones robbed, Navimca lost nothing, and as is shown, only wanted to close the case and get us out of the country. On Friday May 31 Patricia advised us that there would be a meeting on the following Monday with their advisor and all our questions would be answered. We were delighted, progress at last. On Monday 3rd June, at 11 am we met with Patricia Neri, her lawyer and an interpreter friend of the Neri's who spoke limited English. (This was no friendly meeting and was not for the ears of the excellent truthful interpreter we had been using before). We were handed a letter in Spanish from Navimca, and told we must sign it. We refused. Patricia Neri then in Spanish gave a long speech which interpreted as : “We had failed to meet our obligations under the contract and that Navimca were not responsible in any way and that we were liars. We had not left a key or an inventory so we were in default. Further we were in default because we were behind in our monthly storage fees Further we had given many items to Navimca for safe keeping while we were away and they were on the stolen items list proving we were liars.” I kept asking what Navimca was going to do for us as we left our boat in their care under 24 hour security. The answer was Navimca would do nothing as we were liars etc. We were told we would be launched that day and must leave the country. Why were Navimca in such hysteria to get rid of us? We reiterated our boat had been robbed and stripped of all equipment, we had no propellor, navigation or safety equipment, there were jobs we had to do before the boat could go to sea or even be launched. We were told again we were liars as she Patricia had checked with Georgio and we had a propellor. The intrepretor, who seemed lost in the shouting and rarely asked our questions convinced the woman we had no propellor. He told us we must leave, Georgio would find us a propellor, and they would immediately launch us. The launching, we very clearly understood from the interpreter, would be without any further costs to us. The only relief from Patricia Neri's screaming and lies was when I placed an idol from the church in front of her and invited her to repeat her lies in front of it. Her frightened look and the deafening silence gave us some satisfaction. Hear our defence of some of some of the creative points the woman and lawyer made: The contract we had signed was in Spanish. In 1998 on the first of the six occasions we left "Australia31" Navimca had an English speaking staff member. We asked for our obligations under the Spanish contract. No mention was made of leaving a key or an inventory. This is the reason Navimca say they have no liability for our loss. We know of no other Gringo's who have been asked for a key or inventory and we now find inventory is not even in the contract. Asked for a key after our event one boater at Navimca welded his main hatch closed another said no. Default in payments. We stayed away longer than expected and have an email from Georgio advising us to pay when we return and not to send monies to their account as we offered. Three items had not been given to Navimca for safe keeping but for repair. By email, a couple of weeks before, Georgio had advised the windbugger propellor could not be balanced. The microwave was unrepairable and been scrapped some 13 months previously. The repaired sewing machine was returned to us the evening before departure 13 months ago and we paid approx $37 to Navimca. Luckily I checked it on our return in September as it was not repaired so I asked Navimca to fix it. All of the needles cottons and machine ancillaries were missing as was the machine from its place on our boat so we, in our distressed state inadvertantly put it on the stolen goods list. The machine was never fixed, we have it back and another $37 is lost. No help came from Georgio to find a propellor and 4 days later I had a 23" prop cut to 19". Seeing this the Neris had another cruiser deliver this message. We know you are lying. The police know you are lying. The police have closed the case because you lie. It is a very dangerous offence to lie to police in Venezuela. For your safety you must leave the country immediately. You will be launched tomorrow. In good faith Navimca would give us 10% discount on the monies we owed. The same monies they had agreed not to charge us 4 days before. We were terrified but told the boater to reply we do not understand the message tell Georgio Neri, who speaks English, to explain. 3 days later, against my wife's wishes, I took an interpreter and approached the detectives in charge. They told me the case was not closed. We read and registered our list of stolen goods we had translated into Spanish and the dectetives stressed they did not consider us liars. They said that this woman Neri had no right to treat foreigners like this and they would reprimand her on Monday. We antifouled to exhaustion but slept little due to the anxiety created by the Neris. I approached Georgio, (neither of the Neris came to the boat to see the damage and theft) and explained that I had spent all my money, US$ 1,100 on a propellor, radio and tools so I could leave. I had no money for the reintroduced storage fees. In desperation I offered him the propellor, radio and tools to hold and we would try to get to Margarita without them. We had to escape as our health was deteriorating rapidly. I was told there was not enough value in these items. I then offered a new spinnaker and left it in the office. I was frightened and emotional. I had taken a lawyer who said he could negotiate with P. Neri for me. Proudly his team came aboard and informed us that if I paid $800 to Navimca and $200 to him I could immediately launch. Yvonne screamed at him, "Now we are $200 worse off than before." Two days later the lawyers informed us we did not have to pay but we had to sign documents forbidding us to speak about the robbery and preventing us from suing for our losses. We believed our insurers would not allow this. At this stage the world seemed to know of the bad treatment, threats and the devastating robbery. We had no radio but I guess others did and worldwide supportive emails flowed to us. For our health we had to escape. We borrowed money. Many boaters in the yard agreed to face Patricia Neri next morning to witness the passing over of the $800 and thus demand our launching. Only four boaters came with us next morning as the others feared harassment from the Neris if they attended. We handed over not $800 but the increased demand of $950, we did not care what was asked as long as we could get away. We received a receipt and gave the authority to launch to the travel lift driver, who, along with the Navimca staff hugged us excitedly. All were ashamed at our treatment. We floated but the engine would not start. As we had to leave immediately a mechanic was sent to see if we were lying. He helped me replace fuel lines. Three hours later we anchored inside the breakwater to continue departure preparations. I came to the dock in the dinghy to collect friends for a farewell. A guard rushed down pointing his gun telling me I could not come ashore. I only wish security were as agressive when people were up my mast removing the radar antenna. Margarita greeted us with generous warm cruising people offering us items to replace some of those stolen. Giving is much easier than receiving we discovered. Please do not blame Venezuela for these rotten apples in her barrel. We have spent years safely sailing here away from crowded anchorages and as soon as we recover our health and get together gear to make our boat safe again we will again sail her beautiful islands, pristine coastline and rivers. We love her warm generous people and in Venezuelan waters there is fresh fish every day . Navimca email is gneri@telcel.net.ve if you feel you need to contact them. Our email is bombonza@hotmail.com WE NEED THE HELP of cruisers to prepare our case to regain $40,000 and our dignity. Please contact us if you have been aboard "Australia31" particularly if you have been below. We need to find the yellow Danish boat also stripped and accused of lying. as well as Eric on his French boat who was robbed of some equipment at Navimca and any other boaters robbed in Navimca. If you signed the Navimca contract tell us whether you were asked to leave a key and inventory of the boat as this is the sole reason Navimca say they are not responsible for the theft. Were you asked to pay extra unexpected fees to get launched. The theives. They were not from United States as they left the peanut butter, not from Australia as they left our Vegemite and very heavy as they broke both toilets as they sat on them emptying the lockers. Any ideas? from Bernie and Yvonne Katchor aboard sailing yacht "Australia31" Our only address is byaustralia31@hotmail.com |
