Captain of Megayacht Perseus Shot Dead
There have been a lot of tears and anger in the Caribbean crewed charter yacht community since last Thursday night as a result of the shooting death in Antigua of 38-year-old Aussie Drew Gollan, skipper of the 163-ft Perini Navi ketch Perseus. Gollan, his partner Alena Sitkova, and their 21-month-old daughter Carolina, were walking home from dinner about 10 p.m. near the popular Galley Bar in English Harbor, when a man tried to grab Sitkova’s purse. There was a scuffle, and a bullet from the robber’s gun grazed Sitlova’s foot. "Drew kind of chased the man down a hill," Sitkova told the Australian press, "and the guy shot him twice, and he just fell. He gave his life for me and Carolina. He just wanted to protect us."
English and Falmouth Harbors, separated by just a few hundred yards, are the heart of the crewed charter yacht community in the Caribbean, and the fun-loving Gollan was well known and much loved. Members of the community are furious, saying there has been a long history of violence against them, and an equally long history of the police doing little to stop it. Despite the fact the police station was less than 100 yards from the site of Gollan’s murder, the police are accused of taking 20 minutes to respond to the killing. And they still have no suspect.
There has been talk that a number of megayachts will head elsewhere in protest, but it’s unclear if that’s actually going to happen. All this comes at the height of the Caribbean charter season, a season that has been dismal because of the terrible global economy.
We’ve been going to English and Falmouth Harbors for more than 20 years, and have had some of the best times of our sailing lives there. It’s home to Antigua Sailing Week and the Antigua Classic Regatta. Nonetheless, there has always been a bit of an edgy vibe, particularly for women at night, where getting hassled was not uncommon. Poverty and drugs are two big problems on the island. The murder of Gollan is another blow to the tourist-dependent island, which is already suffering a besmirched reputation as a result of Brit honeymooners Ben and Catherine Mullany being murdered there last summer.