This package is a special effort to get the Fall Newsletter to those of you who did not receive it by the ever-fast email and just a ‘bit’ overdue. As well, I’ve included my this 'Winter 2001 Newsletter' that features another story of Whitby owners, told by them, and a set of pictures that should have been with the Fall Newsletter.

There are a number of new owners of Whitbys of whom I am aware. Of course, for every new and happy owner there is always an emotional ex-owner(s). For many it is a transitional move to alternate adventures on or with alternate devices. I have shared in the new ownership happiness and the sadness of departure several times with Whitby and Brewers this year. My dilemma is that having sold every one with which I was asked to assist. I REALLY NEED TO GAIN SOME KNOWLEDGE OF ANY NEW VESSELS BEING PLACED FOR SALE. One, incoming, is on the West Coast is in the process of providing details but at writing is not complete. She is sounding like an exciting vessel.

This new format includes first-hand and pictorial experiences of both adventures and repairs. My aim is to contribute to your greater understanding of those interior parts that cannot be visited post-manufacturing and to share the experiences of others that may be of help to us all. I invite you to submit your experiences on topics that have not been covered by the Association or myself. It is really helpful if they arrive by email, either as a Word attachment or in the body of the email.

If I am able to include them, I will have them proof-read to correct errors of punctuation and typing. Many thanks in advance. In the coming newsletters, expect more rudder and tankage pictures. With John Cece's contribution about the removal of the main fuel tank, we will do both a pictorial and descriptive presentation.

In addition, I have helped a couple of Whitby owners acquire a TRAWLER last year and two who are going that direction through me this year. My background includes some long distance cruising on a 65 ton Trawler as well as the sales of Grand Banks product line.

On other fronts, the Fall Rendezvous at the home of Bruce Rankin and his next door neighbours, Pat & Alice Drenning, was a great success. Doris Hansen, retired President of Whitby Boat Works, Builders of the Whitby 42, was in attendance with the Whitby 55, Dushka VII. Many were aboard to see the larger version of Ted Brewer's design and enjoyed the hospitality of the afternoon and evenings.

The Association's hard working Newsletter Editor, Bernie Boykin has accepted the assistance of a new Whitby owner, Dick Seibert of Annapolis. Dick along with his wife, Marybeth will prove to be a great resource for the association. They with their two children, Stephanie and Page are now enjoying Ray and Diane Barnard's vessel, Pathfinder.

There is so much more to tell. So, in addition to the tankage knowledge shared in the next two issues, I will also endeavour to cover a special diesel-air-intake situation. Also, I hope to enclose an update on new owners’ names so you might know who is on which vessel when you find yourself moored next to another Whitby, and lastly, some of the information that has been shared with me from which we might all benefit.

I have been made aware of two sets of cushions available for the trouble of picking them up in Trenton, Ontario plus a $200. donation to the owner’s favourite community service club. If they are of interest, they need to be picked up by the end of April.

If you have some articles specifically relative to the Whitbys or Brewers that you would like to see go to a new home, let me know if they are give-aways or shared for a small reimbursement.

Manare Firefight

Hi Douglas. As promised I am sending you the full report on our frightening evening in Venezuela. I do not wish to have this story altered in any way, nor do I want it published by anyone else without my consent.

My husband and I have been cruising for the past ten years. For the last six years we have shared this lifestyle with our daughters, Kayla age 6 and Kelsey age 5. We have cruised from the East Coast of Canada to the Caribbean on our sailboat "Scotia Pearl". It had always been my husband's dream to sail to Venezuela. On or about the evening of Feb. 1st, 98, we sailed from Grenada to Los Testigos, Venezuela. We had a good sail the whole way with the exception of having to relay a frantic Mayday call to the Grenada Coast Guard. After assurances from the Coast Guard that they would help the vessel in distress, we continued to sail into the lovely evening and on our way towards something that was coming closer to reality with every wave that passed under the hull. Approaching Los Testigos we were greeted with an abundance of marine life and sea birds flying and swooping overhead. It was a lovely welcome to a new Continent. We spent a few days enjoying the remoteness of these Islands. It was the last time we were to feel at ease in Venezuela.

From Los Testigos we sailed to Margarita. We had the usual "culture shock", which we slowly began adjusting too. Neither of us spoke any Spanish which may have made things seem just that much harder. We cleared in using a local service one of the marine dealerships supplied, and I can remember him advising us to not be on shore at night "It is a jungle out there" he said. From Margarita on we never felt safe again. I'm not sure why, but it was just a feeling we had.

We left Margarita, and went directly to Puerto La Cruz, taking a slip at Bahia Redonda beside our friends on Sea Camp, who had arrived a few months ahead of

us. We stayed in the safety of the marina, enjoying our friends company and such creature comforts as a pool and fresh water showers etc... However, we did tire pretty quickly of all that and after provisioning we were ready to start cruising.

As advised in the guidebook, we had our buddy boat. Our good friends, Harold and Diane aboard the s/v Sea Camp, were taking us to a place they had cruised by themselves a few weeks earlier. On Feb. 19th we headed for Caracas Del Este. We spent four days enjoying beaches and snorkeling with our girls. On Feb 23rd we decided to head for Bahia Manare in Mochima National Park. Due to Carnival, Bahia Manare was quite full, so we anchored just a little west of the usual anchorage. We spent the day on the beach, shelling and snorkeling. Sea camp invited the girls over to their boat, at about 4pm, and we jumped at the opportunity to have a few moments to ourselves. At about 5pm, a small yellow fishing boat with three men aboard entered the cove and headed for shore. They went about setting up camp in the fishing hut on the beach. As planned, we joined Sea Camp for drinks at 6pm. At 8pm, in the dark, we loaded the kids into the dinghy and headed home. Not a long ride, as we were anchored right beside each other.

As usual, when cruising, we settled down early. At midnight, our youngest daughter Kelsey, awoke to go potty. My husband got up and got her settled again. He was just drifting off again when he heard a loud SNAP! Our inflatable, with it's 8hp outboard was pulled alongside, with a cable locking it to our boat. My husband looked out through the aft companionway and noticed the outboard gone. Even more frightening was the small boat sitting there in the darkness. My husband screamed at me to call Sea Camp on the VHF. We had agreed to stand by on a frequency throughout the night. My husband grabbed the flare gun and went out the aft companionway and onto the aft deck. I headed for the radio in the main salon. That is when the shots rang out. Four in all. Peter fired the first flare straight up in the air to warn these people to stay away. They still sat there! My husband fired another flare, this time closer to home. They fired back twice. My husband began to scream. I left the radio and headed on deck. There I found Peter collapsed on the aft deck, screaming that he had been shot and I needed to get something to help stop the bleeding. The vessel was still there. I began to scream at the top of my lungs at them, and at the same time I was screaming at Sea Camp, who by then were lowering their dinghy into the water. Once they were in the dinghy and headed towards our vessel, the other boat sped away into the darkness.

After reaching our boat, Harold and Diane pretty much took over. Harold went aft and assessed Peter's wounds and decided for safety and comfort we needed to get Peter below. The bullet grazed his cheek, went into the fleshy upper part of his shoulder, and then traveled just below the skin, exiting out his mid-back. We got him below and laid him on his side, keeping the wound elevated. We then began to try and find some source of help. Although he was stable, we did not know if a lung was punctured or if any other internal injuries had occurred. We tried to raise the Venezuelan Coast Guard on the VHF to no avail. Using our SSB we then contacted WOO successfully, and were then patched through to the Miami Coast Guard. They allowed us to speak with a Doctor who advised us best as he could. Miami then contacted San Juan. We spoke with them and asked if they could reach the Venezuelan Coast Guard via a landline and ask the Venezuelan Coast Guard to send help. We were told that they had made contact and that we should monitor VHF ch 16 and SSB 2182 for further instructions from the Venezuelan Coast Guard. It was a very long night, as we waited and waited, and no one responded. We tried reaching oil ships and other cruising vessels, nobody responded.

Peter's condition was stable. I had given him a synthetic form of Morphine. His pulse was good and it was reassuring to see that he still had his sense of humour, (although, maybe the morphine had something to do with that). It was a 4 and1/2 hour trip back to Puerto La Cruz. There was no moon to speak of and we didn't have radar. We made the decision to sit tight until first light. We were all frightened, wondering if these people were going to come back. Our little girls heard and saw everything, and they spent the rest of that very long night hiding under their covers in fear.

At 6am, we hauled up the anchors. Harold ran our boat while I tended to Peter and the children. Diane followed us in Sea Camp. At 7 am we tuned into the cruisers net on the SSB and managed to make contact with Mel and Jackie aboard Drogheda, who were docked in Puerto La Cruz. They organized everything from there. A retired Heart Surgeon from the vessel Dionnes, and our friend Carol from Moonshadow, who is a retired Nurse, met us at the dock and were aboard before the lines were secured. Carol and Tom from Moonshadow had a car and drove us to the local hospital. The Surgeon from Dionnes came with us. The medical care was good. X-Rays revealed that nothing was damaged and other than 14 stitches on the cheek everything else was left to heal on it's own. Peter was home in time for lunch and a much needed siesta.

The following day we made plans to haul our boat out at CMO, in Puerto La Cruz. We also made flight arrangements to return to our home in Canada. After docking and seeing to Peters' wounds we were advised to do many things, one of which was to file a police report. As Peter napped and friends tended to our children, I went to the Police Station, with a translator. The Police officer who took the report seemed disinterested and couldn't make up his mind if he should allow me to file this report. I was informed that because I wasn't the one shot it really didn't make sense for me to be reporting this. Finally they decided to accept it: it took approx. two hours to get through this. Three different officers typed it up at various times and the total typing time between the three of them took no more than 10 minutes. I walked away frustrated and quite angry. We were also advised to visit the Coast Guard, who was but a short dinghy ride away. We decided against that. The Coast Guard was fully aware of what took place, and in the final four days we spent at the dock, they did not bother to come by to explain or apologize as to why they were unable to help us.

Before leaving Peter was approached by Mr. James Capriles of CMO. He asked Peter to join him in an official meeting. Peter was asked to give a full account of the incident. We were told this was the worst incident in years. Sadly, it is not. After two days back in the marina I finally got the opportunity to have a shower and wash the last of my husbands blood away. The girls were fast asleep and Peter was relaxing. On my way back I decided to have one of those wonderful looking tropical drinks at the Marinas restaurant/bar. I sat down at the bar and the cruiser beside me asked how my husband was doing. He then began to tell me his story; last year he was stabbed nine times................

Peter and I would like cruisers to be informed. A part of me thinks that if we'd heard such a story before visiting Venezuela we would never have gone there, would never have placed our children in such an environment. I used to believe that those things happened to other people, not us. And so in a sense I think that maybe we still would have gone. But maybe we would have had a Dog aboard as an early warning system to an approaching boat and maybe we might have carried a firearm and maybe..... The issues that this incident brings up are quite serious and cruisers planning to tour in such areas should consider these.

In closing, we are not sure what ever happened to the yellow Pinero. We would also hate to implicate innocent fisherman. We never did hear them leave the anchorage that night; quite strange as they had a big outboard (at least 30-40hp). Needless to say Peter returned in the fall of 98 and did a straight offshore passage from Venezuela to the Bahamas. Some friends sent us copies of Caribbean Boating; our incident was dubbed the Manare Firefight. Another article was written on what Venezuela was doing to provide a safer environment for cruisers.

Peter and I also wrote to Cruising World in the hopes that they could draw some attention to the crimes that are taking place throughout the Caribbean.

At first we were told that a story would be done and we were contacted by a journalist. We spoke in great detail about our incident, and we also spoke of our desire to share this story in the hopes that other cruisers would be better informed. Months passed, and so I finally contacted Tim Murphy of Cruising World and was told that they decided against printing the article, but that our story would be mentioned in Shoreline. It is well over a year and as far as we know nothing was printed. Maybe we will have to try Latts and Atts.
Peter and Maggie Mais

Foot Note: The vessel has since been returned to America, sold, and the family is now living ashore thinking of a secure new adventure. This is a story written by the people who experienced it. It does happen, like many tragedies do but should not deter us from our dreams, but rather give us a greater sense of awareness and, if possible, preparedness. Given the momentary split second decisions that are required, it is impossible to criticize others for their decisions. You can only hope that if you find yourself in the same situation, you too can write about it later.