Miller, along with the captain, Cliff Young, said they had the encounter in St. Vincent and the Grenadines territorial waters, 65 miles south east of Kingstown.

The men were robbed of their money, GPS, fishing equipment, food and water, and a portion of their catch. They were then ordered to sail south or be killed, even as the pirate vessel went east.

Miller said they were aboard their 20-foot pirogue, which is outfitted with a single 75hp outboard engine when the incident occurred. He said a 35-foot vessel, which was outfitted with six 75hp outboard engines, approached them.

The wooden vessel was baby blue in colour, with yellow and red trimmings Miller said Saturday, while Young said that the pirates’ vessel came upon them and four armed men immediately jumped into the fishing boat.

On seeing this, Young jumped overboard, leaving his crew member behind.

“Fright! I never experienced them things they, so I jump,” Young said, adding “If you go to sea and see them things …what you going do? If the man them get gun point to you, what else you going do than jump overboard?”

Young, who has been fishing for over two decades, said it was his first experience with pirates.

He said that as he swam away, one of the pirates shouted, “Come! King fish will bite you!” Young said he heard the racking of a gun, and, fearing that the pirates would shoot him, he swam back to his boat.

Miller said the pirates were fair in complexion and spoke to each other in Spanish. One the pirates spoke to the local fishermen in English.

The four men who boarded the fishing boat put him to lie face down.

“I was scared for my life. I beg for my life. They come and stop us [at] gunpoint and take everything “

He said that on their release a report was made to the Coast Guard base.