Man Killed Defending Wife on Round-the-World Sail

Roger and Margaret Pratt were supposed to be on the trip of a lifetime. They had set off from the UK in June, sailing to St. Lucia with plans to continue on around the world. But on the day they planned to leave the Caribbean island, the British couple were attacked. Roger Pratt, 62, was killed defending his wife Friday night, the Independent reports. Three suspects, so far unnamed, have been arrested, Reuters reports. Pratt was on board the yacht when he was killed, and his wife—who was also injured—reportedly found him floating in the water, but details are vague and it's not clear how Pratt was killed. Officials are disputing reports that he was shot; a post-mortem scheduled for today should provide cause of death.

Tragically, the Pratts planned to set off the day before the attack, but were prevented from leaving in part because an immigration officer hadn't come to work at Customs that day, according to a post on Margaret Pratt's blog. Another post on the blog reveals that Roger Pratt attended a seminar on how to deal with pirates in November. "The must-have accessories are motion sensors linked to an app of a loud barking dog to deter intruders," Margaret Pratt wrote. "It makes sense." The Telegraph calls the incident a robbery. Margaret Pratt is said to be "traumatized," but helping with the investigation. (More Caribbean stories.)