Anxiety is high among the sailing community concerning the whereabouts of an American couple whose catamaran private yacht, Simplicity, was found abandoned off a beach in St Vincent on Wednesday without its owners.

Boatwatch.org, which provides worldwide search assistance for lost and overdue boaters highlighted the situation which was raised by the Salty Dawg Sailing Association. 

Speculation is rife about the safety of the seasoned sailors who were reported to be last anchored in Grenada. 

News subsequently broke about three prisoners being recaptured in St Vincent after escaping custody in Grenada on Sunday, February 18, 2024. The men are Ron Mitchell, 30 years, a Sailor of Paradise, St Andrew; Trevon Robertson, 19 years, Unemployed of Paradise, St Andrew and Abita Stanislaus, 25 years, a Farmer also of Paradise St Andrew. 

The Royal Grenada Police Force in a statement on Thursday night said preliminary information from investigators in St Vincent suggested that the three men made their way to St Vincent via a yacht that was docked in the St George area.   

Police are working on leads that suggest that the two occupants of the yacht may have been killed in the process. It is believed that the occupants of the yacht were American citizens.   

The police force said the investigation was in its infancy stage and the RGPF had dispatched a team of senior investigators and a forensic specialist to St Vincent in furtherance of this investigation.   

The incident has already made its way into the US media, with NBC News reporting that a State Department spokesperson told them on Friday, “US authorities are coordinating with local law enforcement officials on this incident.”