An American couple who had left Virginia and were spending the winter cruising the Caribbean disappeared this month while sailing off Grenada, and their boat was found empty in nearby St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Their disappearance occurred around the same time that three men escaped from a prison in Grenada and fled by boat to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, authorities on those islands said.
In a statement, the Royal Grenada Police did not identify the two Americans but said they were examining possible harm done to them in connection with the prisoners’ escape.
Second the Salty Dawg Sailing Associationa non-profit organization that brings together sailing and cruising enthusiasts, a skipper notified it on Feb. 21 that a member’s yacht called Simplicity was found anchored and abandoned off a beach on the south coast of St. Vincent.
The skipper boarded the catamaran and noticed that its owners were not on board, the association’s statement said. The skipper contacted the Saint Vincent and Grenadines Coast Guard, who then alerted the local police.
The owners of the missing boat were identified as Ralph Hendry, 66, and Kathy Brandel, 71, by the association and by Ms. Brandel’s son, Nick Buro, who said the couple, originally from Virginia, had been married for 27 years.
Mr. Hendry and Mrs. Brandel were experienced sailors who lived on their boat. They recently completed their sailing club’s “Caribbean Rally” — sailing from Hampton, Virginia, to the island of Antigua to end 2023 with a celebration — and spent the rest of the winter cruising the Caribbean, according to a statement of the club.
The association said it had a tracking map to track members’ boats and that it showed the couple’s boat, Simplicity, was anchored in Grenada before docking off St. Vincent. The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard secured the vessel and the St. Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force was investigating along with the U.S. Embassy and the Royal Grenada Police Force, according to the statement from the association.
Separately, the Royal Grenada Constabulary said in a Feb. 22 statement that three men who escaped from a prison in Grenada on February 18 headed to St. Vincent using a yacht moored in the St. George area of Grenada. The force said the two occupants of the vessel, who were not named, were American citizens.
The prisoners were recaptured on February 21, the same day the couple’s ship was found.
Authorities in Grenada identified the prisoners as Trevon Robertson, 19; Lives Stanislao, 25 years old; and Ron Mitchell, 30.
They were previously jointly charged in a violent robbery case in December. Mr Mitchell also faced several separate charges which included wounding, indecent assault and rape, Grenada police said.
In a joint family declaration On Saturday, Mr. Buro and Bryan Hendry, Mr. Hendry’s son, thanked the cruise community for their support and help in the search, but called on them to stand down.
“We also want to applaud the authorities in St. Vincent for their swift actions in securing Simplicity and for their courageous and rapid response which led to the arrest of three dangerous fugitives,” the family’s statement read. He added: “We greatly appreciate the coordination of the St. Vincent and Royal Grenadian Police Forces and Coast Guards in investigating these events.”
The Royal Grenada Constabulary did not respond to an inquiry on Sunday. The department said in the release that the investigation was “in its early stages” and that a team of investigators and a forensic specialist had been sent to St. Vincent.
Bob Osborn, president of the sailing club, described the couple as loving and capable and their passing “a very upsetting event”.
He added, “Our hopes and prayers are with Ralph and Kathy and the family who loves them.”
A GoFundMe page started by a family friend seeking help with costs related to their disappearance described Mr. Hendry and Ms. Brandel as “seasoned adventurers” and said they had “spent their retirement sailing aboard the Simplicity, spending their summers in New England and embracing the “warmth of Caribbean winters.”