The captain of a charter motor yacht made an impassioned radio call to the Coast Guard shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday, saying his vessel was under fire from what seemed to be automatic weapons as it approached Charlotte Amalie Harbor.
The boat, Sea Star, was carrying several passengers who were on the last day of a charter. No one was hurt.
Other boaters listening to the transmission said Capt. Ken Tatarow told the Coast Guard he thought he heard "a couple pings," indicating the boat had been hit. But the boat docked safely at Yacht Haven Marina and no damage was immediately apparent.
"We heard pop, pop, pop, pop, pop," Tatarow said in a brief dockside interview shortly after the incident. "You could see the bullets hitting the water."
He said he could not see the person or persons shooting.
The incident happened near Bolongo Bay in the general vicinity of the old shooting range, but witnesses rejected the suggestion of stray bullets. Tatarow warned other vessels to steer clear of the area.
The Coast Guard took a report and passed it along to local police who met the vessel at Yacht Haven. They did not comment on the incident.
