In Memoriam Paige Bell: May Your Red Velvet Spirit Sail in Peace
The murder of Paige Bell is heartbreaking and, to be blunt, an absolute fucking disgrace.
It’s hard for me to write this, yet even as I write that, my stomach curns at the prospect of my self-pity because the sickening truth is that the last moments of your gentle, innocent existence were infinitely harder.
The 14th of July — your 21st birthday — should have been a joyous celebration.
Instead, the yacht you once dreamed of dancing upon became a crime scene, eulogising your birthday into an event of mourning, outrage, and remembrance by thousands from around the world.
Just 11 days before that milestone, you were murdered in cold blood by Brigido Munoz, a yacht engineer, in the engine room of M/Y Far From It.
We, The People, Will Not Forgive; Nor Will We Ever Forget
Stupefied, greedy gazes watch all the red flags as they blow so blatantly in the cacophonic winds of gender-based violence (GBV).
Sickeningly, you had previously transferred from M/Y Sweet Emocean, where you worked until December 2024, after reporting that the original captain had made a pass at you. The outcome: transferring you and letting the captain stay — enough said.
Your slaughter wasn’t a crime of passion. It was premeditated, unprovoked, and engineered.
Before you died, you reported Munoz for harassment.
BUT AGAIN — no one listened.
They gave your murderer a verbal warning, a light rap on the proverbial knuckles. Knuckles that he would go on to use to snuff out the light in your eyes.
We could’ve stopped him from hurting you, from robbing you and us of your charmed existence.
We know you fought, that Munoz was found with scratches on his arms because you scrambled for your life with the same zest you lived it with.
Sounding the Bell
Your grieving mother still calls you “Paigey.”
A nickname that now echoes through memorials instead of celebrations.
Your Instagram bio reads:
Your daily dose of positivity :)
South African 🇿🇦
🤍🤍🤍
📍Everywhere :)
And another graceful woman is murdered as the world spins slowly on.
I am a South African man. For our international readers, my homeland is both beautiful and deeply troubled by violence.
We have some of the highest murder and rape statistics per capita anywhere in the world, and GBV is a daily waking nightmare, with a rape being reported every 12 minutes.
But, this is the truth of the deeply entrenched, systemic, and prolific nature of GBV toward our women here — a deep-seated recurring issue that leaves many of us, women most of all, feeling powerless and horrified.
There are a few tragic ironies surrounding your death, Paige, but perhaps the starkest is that your family sent you abroad on yachts to help you find a better, safer life beyond the wild, often wicked walls of your home country.
Outside of South Africa, women are hunted across the world, with the UN reporting one being killed every 10 minutes by a family member or intimate partner.
Leave Her Alone
"It is with broken hearts that we share the devastating news that our beautiful Paigey’s life was brutally taken from us. We will leave no stone unturned until the guilty is brought to justice." — Statement from Paige’s family, July 4
You were sexually assaulted aboard the £9.5 million superyacht M/Y Far From It while docked at the Bahamian marina off Harbor Island. What happened to you there is far from acceptable: it’s shocking, perverse, and utterly devoid of humaneness.
Your killer, a 39-year-old Mexican national, was arrested by Bahamanian police and charged with murder (sexual assault charges pending); no bail has been granted, and he was found with cuts on his forearms in what was a probable and cowardly suicide attempt.
The details of the incident have already been widely circulated and discussed above. I’m wary of giving your killer too much limelight as this article is not for him; nothing should be for him except the eternal prospect of never walking among us again — of never seeing another wave nor having the freedom of simple acts such as buying groceries on his way home from work.
Nothing should be his except swift, remorseless justice.
A Rude Awakening for the Yachting Industry
Another bitter irony is that after your death, Far From It docked at Safe Harbor Marina, Fort Lauderdale.
This is the problem with the yachting industry and others like it; they parade under the pretense of perfection, powered by billions of dollars and the protracted pilfering of the mega-wealthy. Crimes committed in the realm of those laden with unconscionable wealth are glanced over by glamor-tinted glasses.
This is how money obfuscates justice, lubricates silence, and allows for young ladies like yourself to die.
We think, “What could possibly go wrong on a billionaire’s yacht?”
Because, simply put, we don’t want to ruffle the feathers of the rich.
For too long now, the oozing wealth of the yachting industry has bought silence as money, image, and luxury clientele are protected and prioritized at all costs.
Power to Paige; Power to Change
Like many elite industries run by and for the rich and famous, the world of yachting is ripe for abuse and abuse of power. This is what allows it to remain unregulated, isolated, and opaque.
This inherent lack of global oversight and legislation allows predators like Brigido Munoz to slip through the cracks.
Paige, your murder (the first of its kind, according to industry veteran Ami Ira) has forced the community to confront uncomfortable, but inarguable truths. The exploitation behind it, however, is nothing new.
Too many faces have gone unseen: These are the grieving shadow people, tape-masked by silence, apathy, and complicity.
The Paige Bell Pledge
The Paige Bell Pledge, initiated by Ami Ira, is a voluntary code introduced in response to Paige’s tragic death.
It calls for criminal background checks, drug testing, and credit checks for all superyacht crew members. A petition is now circulating to make these requirements mandatory, intending to prevent future exploitation and abuse within the yachting industry.
Will this finally be the waking call we need to stop treating GBV tragedies as fleeting teardrops that are forgotten about as soon as they dry?
Probably not.
BUT — we can hope that perhaps this does bring about some change, and that change protects some vulnerable people, and those vulnerable people in turn protect others.
Like the gift that keeps on giving, change will become a knock-on effect that eventually permeates throughout the yachting scene and the world over, leaving good people in peace and able to prosper unimpeded by violence and oppression.
I know this would be your greatest wish, too.
The Timeline of Events Surrounding Paige’s Death
| July 3 | Paige found stabbed to death in the engine room |
| July 14 | Would have been her 21st birthday |
| Mid-July | Vessel docks at Safe Harbor Marina, Fort Lauderdale |
| July 16 | Global moment of silence across marinas observed |
| July 23 | Public memorial service in South Africa |
| July | “Paige Bell Pledge” launched for crew background checks |
Turning the Page: A Life Stolen, A System Complicit
“Her radiant spirit, infectious laughter, and boundless compassion made an unforgettable impact on everyone lucky enough to know her.” — Statement from former crewmates, M/Y Emocean, where she transferred from after a captain made a pass at her.
I pray that your death not be in vain; that it is the call to action we need to realize change.
For all those who are murdered silently in the all-consuming, dark-looming menacing clouds of the manosphere. From sea to sea, in your glimmering memory, I pray for peace and equality for my female counterparts.
Gender-based violence is not just something we need to start tackling; it’s something that needs to be eradicated immediately.
God help us learn from your memory, because we simply cannot sweep this under the decks any longer.
For now, I’ll have another slice of red velvet, your favorite cake, in your sweet memory.
Rest in Power, Paige Bell.
For Those Out There Still Suffering, Know That You’re Not Alone
If you’re working on the water and you’re scared, silenced, or unsure who to trust, we see you. And we know you deserve better.
👉 Share your truth:
An anonymous space for crew to speak out, be heard, and find support.
👉 Supporters & solution providers:
Join the Paige Bell Pledge registry: A network of captains, companies, and allies committed to safer, more accountable yachting.
Let’s build a safer yachting world, together.