Pirates kill New Zealand man, leave woman and child injured in Panama

Friday, 3 May 2019

Alan Culverwell died in Panama while defending his family from armed robbers who boarded their yacht. He is pictured here with his wife, Derryn, who was injured during the attack.

The family of a New Zealand man killed when armed robbers attacked their yacht in Panama are 'traumatised' and 'heartbroken' by his death, the man's sister says.

Alan Culverwell, 60, died while defending his wife, Derryn, and two 11-year-old children near Morodub island, a popular tourist area.

Alan Culverwell had been sailing the Caribbean for two years.

Local news outlet El Siglo reported a group of 'hooded individuals' boarded his vessel about 2am on May 2 (local time).

The family awoke to noise, which Alan got up to investigate. He was then shot by the attackers.

Alan Culverwell was near Morodub island, a popular tourist area.

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Alan's sister, Derryn Hughes, says his wife managed to 'force them [the pirates] out' before locking the rest of the family in the cabin.

Despite sustaining a machete wound in the attack, she managed to call a friend in New Zealand who orchestrated the rescue.

'There were about two hours where Derryn just sheltered with the kids in the boat,' Hughes said.

'As a family, we are so proud of her.'

Culverwell was described as a 'very likeable person' by his sister, and the family had been inundated with messages of support from around the world following his death.

He had made most of his living working on the water, diving for paua and working out of the Chatham Islands at one point.

After setting themselves up in the Marlborough Sounds in a house that Culverwell built himself, the family decided they were ready for a new adventure and left for the United States on December 20, 2016.

Arriving in Florida, they purchased a boat and spent the next few months doing it up, before beginning their new life on the water.

Derryn, a qualified teacher, was homeschooling the children.

They had spent two years sailing around the Caribbean, and were on their way to the Panama Canal, before finally making their way back to New Zealand.

Hughes understood her sister-in-law and niece spent time in hospital following the attack but had since been released. Culverwell's son was not injured in the attack.

'[Culverwell was a] dedicated, loving husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend to all,' Hughes wrote in a public post on Facebook.

'His family were his everything. Nothing could have prepared us for the attack that … has tragically taken Alan's life.'

This was Culverwell's second marriage, and he remained close with the children from his first – one of which was on his way to Panama.

A GoFundMe set up by Michelle Perry said the Culverwells were 'without a doubt the kindest and most genuine family we have ever met'.

Marlborough District councillor Nadine Taylor said Alan Culverwell had been a long-serving director on the NZ Paua Industry Council, which was collecting donations for his family.

'On behalf of the Picton and Sounds communities I'd like to extend our love and support to Al's wife Derryn (who many of you may have known as Miss Fisher, formerly a teacher at Waikawa Bay School) and to their two children,' she wrote in a Facebook post.

Paua Industry Council chairman Storm Stanley described his friend and colleague as 'an absolute man of the sea'.

'He loved being in the sea, he loved being around boats, he loved diving.'

The 'enormously' experienced diver had a long career of plunging into the ocean, including a background in construction diving.

'I think he did work on oil rigs and salvage diving.'

Stanley said Culverwell was 'absolutely one of the top paua divers in New Zealand' and found a way to get paid for 'doing what he loved'.

The pair had known each other for about 20 years through their fishing industry connection.

Stanley said Culverwell was 'a really good friend to everyone who knew him – very very loyal, extremely generous, and he had a great deal of mana in our industry'.

'We couldn't be sorrier [about his death].

'I just think it's an awful tragedy. He had a long working career and he was very, very hard working man in everything he did. He'd worked towards what was really the perfect retirement.'

Culverwell had helped search for Marlborough Sounds sailor William Kerry Blair, who went missing off the coast of in March 2014.

'Al had put up his own plane in the search for Dad, arranged another, arranged a private recovery vessel to recover [Blair's boat] the Erie, after the Erie was found,' Blair's son, Dylan Blair, said.

The Panamanian Minister of Security Jonattan Del Rosario vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was providing consular support to a New Zealand family in Panama, but would not elaborate further.