Pirates?

Today we slipped past Guatemala and Honduras, and by late afternoon found ourselves off the coast of Nicaragua. This stretch has a reputation. Just last year, four sailboats were taken hostage by pirates between Honduras and Nicaragua, and overall pirate activity in the Caribbean jumped by fifty percent.

We stay as informed as possible and follow every safety recommendation to the letter. Out here, that means keeping at least 125 nautical miles offshore, a buffer we have maintained faithfully on our run south.

Even so, late this afternoon an old-school trawler overtook us, continued on, and then abruptly swung around to set a direct intercept course with Hazel. We were moving fast on a strong beam reach, holding 7 to 8 knots. The seas were sharp with chop layered over long, clean ten second swells. Given the conditions, we figured the trawler would need to push well over 15 knots to catch us, a brutal ride for a vessel like that.

But they did not flinch. They kept coming.

Within seconds, Peter and I were running through every scenario we had ever discussed. Hazel went straight to DEFCON 5. For twenty long minutes the trawler sat on our aft quarter, matching our course, closing the gap, or maybe just coincidentally following us, though it certainly did not feel coincidental. Then, just as suddenly as they had turned toward us, they peeled away and headed back the way they came.

Were they part of a fishing fleet hoping for a bonus catch named Hazel? Or simply honest fishermen making an oddly timed about face? We were not interested in finding out. We trimmed every inch of sail to squeeze out more speed and put as much blue water between us as possible. Four hours later, the adrenaline is still lingering.

It cast a shadow over what had been an absolutely spectacular day of sailing, the kind of day you take pictures of because you want to remember every detail. It is a shame it ended with a knot in our stomachs, but I am grateful that whatever was in that captain’s mind, it changed.

Now we are sailing through the dark with heightened vigilance, scanning for any lights that might be headed our way. In simple terms, we cannot wait to leave the Nicaraguan coast behind.

Volume up for some narration: