FROM THE HELM

By Mike Benjamin, SV Exodus, President SDSA

REMEMBERING KATHY AND RALPH:  A CALL TO VIGILANCE

This month I had planned to write about our upcoming fall Caribbean Rally and some of the exciting changes we have in store. However, the breaking news from Grenada about the sentencing of the three men responsible for the murders of our fellow Salty Dawg members, Kathy Brandel and Ralph Hendry in February 2024, compelled me to change course. This unimaginably cruel and brutal crime against our fellow sailors cannot be forgotten.

For those who may not have heard, last week, Grenada’s High Court handed down sentences for Ron Mitchell, Atiba Stanislaus, and Trevon Robertson. The judge, Madame Justice Paula Gifford, noted that this crime was, "one of the most heinous of her career." While the sentencing may have brought a legal conclusion to the case, we know there is no punishment that can inflict on these 3 men the same fear and suffering that Kathy and Ralph faced that February night.  There is no punishment that can bring Kathy and Ralph back to their families. There is no sentence that can fully heal the pain or make this tragedy "all better."

A local reporter stated that the verdict, “has finally brought the case to a close”, but I believe that is far from the truth for our cruising community or for Kathy and Ralph’s families. Mortality is a fact of life, but my Jewish traditions teach - not to let the departed "die twice," a lesson that encourages us to always remember those who have passed. For Kathy and Ralph, whose lives and deaths have touched us so deeply, their memory will surely live on.

This tragedy has forever changed our community's sense of security.  This could have happened to any of us.  While we all practiced some vigilance – checking the latest reports on CSSN, locking our boats when ashore and chaining our dinghies to the dock, this crime was a brutal wake-up call. For my wife, Ronna, and me, the vulnerability we feel on the water is now a reality. The chilling details of what Kathy and Ralph endured serve as a stark reminder of the darkness that exists in the world.  I still get a chill down my spine when I think about what they must have felt that night.  We now take extra precautions.  We lock ourselves in at night and we set an alarm in certain locations where we feel unsafe, and we leave only minimal safe lighting on the boat so as not to attract attention. Even though we continue to cruise the same waters, yes, even the mooring field outside St. Georges, Grenada, we do so with a heightened sense of awareness.

Statistically, crimes occur more frequently on land, but the unique vulnerability of being on a boat in a foreign country makes those statistics irrelevant. The peace and tranquility we once took for granted have been replaced by a more sober understanding of the world. The "petal is off the rose," as they say.

Remembering Kathy and Ralph is not just about mourning their loss. It is about honoring their memory by not allowing ourselves to forget what happened. It is about ensuring that their legacy not only lives on, but inspires us to continue the cruising life we all love so much, while taking every reasonable precaution. It is about continuing to look out for one another as a strong, supportive cruising community. 

May the vigilance we practice and the extra precautions we take in their names be the difference that keeps us all safe.

Click here to read the news article from Grenada.

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