A phone call**********

[spottydog]

Just had a call from Gus of Harry Kings at Pin Mill. I have a swinging mooring there and my boat along with at least 2 others have been vandalised. He had no further details except to say the vandals had torched a boat yesterday. I will have to wait untill tomorrow morning before I can get down to the boat. I am trying to be rational about it, but the hours and hours I spent this winter painting her and the electronics gear I've saved for and installed is making it almost impossible. Even alcohol in larger than usual quantities is not really working. I'm not looking for sympathy just an outlet to tell someone .
I wonder if there is a berth available at Shotley or Woolverstone if the boat can be repaired to salvage some of the season.
I had just found crew for the Oostende weekend for the first time!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am very p*st off.

 

[Otter]

It must be absolutely maddening to be told that and not know any details - deepest sympathies. Only comfort is if he couldn't give details, maybe little damage was done? Very best wishes for tomorrow,

Simon

 

[spottydog]

Thanks Simon I.m hoping your right.

 

[MoodySabre]

That's grim news - I hope it's not as bad as you fear. Let us all know.

 

[tillergirl]

That's terrible. You have my sympathy. I do hope things are better than your worse fears. Generally things are better than you fear.

 

[Koeketiene]

My sympathies - the worst fear of everyone who keeps their boat on a mooring

 

[magic-martinh]

Hopefully it won't be as bad as your fears. All the best.

 

[oldsaltoz]

Here's hoping it all turns out OK and the barstuards fell out of their boat all drowned.

Some mongrel stole our stainless steering wheel a few ago, I found hidden behind an old shed next to the car park. Suspect they had problems getting into a car and planned to return with a more suitable vehicle.

I left a note behind the shed advising that the marina surveillance video cam was pointed right them and would be delivered to the local fuzz.

Thieves, I hate them..........

 

[sailorman]

Just had a call from Gus of Harry Kings at Pin Mill. I have a swinging mooring there and my boat along with at least 2 others have been vandalised. He had no further details except to say the vandals had torched a boat yesterday. I will have to wait untill tomorrow morning before I can get down to the boat. I am trying to be rational about it, but the hours and hours I spent this winter painting her and the electronics gear I've saved for and installed is making it almost impossible. Even alcohol in larger than usual quantities is not really working. I'm not looking for sympathy just an outlet to tell someone .
I wonder if there is a berth available at Shotley or Woolverstone if the boat can be repaired to salvage some of the season.
I had just found crew for the Oostende weekend for the first time!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am very p*st off.

Sorry to hear that a friend was o/b below Pin Mill ( Clamp House )Friday evening. He said a steel boat was taken but went up the beach.

 

[spottydog]

I,ve been to the boat, not a pretty sight but it could have been worse.
They have tried very hard to start the engine, to the extent of removing the engine panel to remove all of the wires off the starter switch to hot wire it. They failed because I have rewired the starter to a hidden battery that I always disconnect on leaving the boat.
Having failed to start it they then set about trashing the inside. There is a lot of damage and they have emptied every storage space onto the cabin sole. They have smashed the companion way and threw the washboards over the side. However they haven't, as far as I can tell, taken anything.
They had very muddy boots which they used to stamp on everything including my charts.
Enough for now a strong drink is calling.

 

[MoodySabre]

Well at least they didn't start the engine and run it dry and wreck the engine and perhaps the boat aground. A good clean and tidy and perhaps you'll be back in action soon. What a bugger - glad there are some positives, even if they are hard to see.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Glad to hear that things are not disasterous, I have an old set of plywood washboards that you can have if they will be of any use and a couple of blancs of perspex that I made up that could be recut, I can give you measurements as they are in the garage. I will be in Shotley Friday evening if they are of any use. Chin up.

 

[Otter]

Pleased to hear that it was not as bad as feared. They are low-life and stupid - what did they think they were going to do with the boat???? Very best wishes for sorting it out.

 

[spottydog]

Glad to hear that things are not disasterous, I have an old set of plywood washboards that you can have if they will be of any use and a couple of blancs of perspex that I made up that could be recut, I can give you measurements as they are in the garage. I will be in Shotley Friday evening if they are of any use. Chin up.

Thankyou thats a very kind offer, I will pm you later in the week after I have had time to clear my head and decide on if it will be an insurance claim or not.

 

[Fire99]

Really sorry to hear of your hassles. It's one thing to try and steal your boat but then to trash the place because they couldn't.

Scum-bags through and through.

Anyway, hopefully with a bit of TLC you'll be back in action soon.

 

[CPD]

Scum doesn't even come close. I hope you get sorted soonest.

 

[FullCircle]

Thankyou thats a very kind offer, I will pm you later in the week after I have had time to clear my head and decide on if it will be an insurance claim or not.

I would definitely lodge a claim.
Washboard replacement
Companionway damage
New Charts

Replacement bottle of booze.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

The problem with an insurance claim for "minor" damage is assessing how it will be reflected in the next couple of years premiums. Even worse you may not make a claim but because of several boats being targeted the collective body of insurerers may just hike the premiums for Pin Mill or even a bigger stretch of the river. When I looked at moving to the East Coast last year one of the marinas I contacted offered a swinging mooring but when I enquired as to how safe an outboard would be on the back of the boat or a dinghy on the mooring they did not seem over confident. So I was fortunate to get a berth in Shotley which I must say suits us very well.

 

[PaulGooch]

Really sorry to hear about this, hope you get everything "ship shape" soon. I'd claim off of the insurance, personally. If they've trampled carpets and upholstery with muddy boots they may well need replacing, along with the broken stuff.

I'd also be checking with Shotley for a berth.

We had our Princess 32 at Pin Mill, because at the time Shotley was full and Pin Mill was just under half the cost. We now have the "new" boat at Shotley and would not want to go back. Offsetting the extra cost is the added security, ease of walk on-walk off pontoons, electricity, water, wifi (when it works) etc. The absence of trudging up and down Gus's yard and dragging the dinghy along half a mile of muddy river bank doesn't go a miss. Being 6 miles closer to the sea is also nice, especially with a mobo that would use a few quids worth of diesel back and forth along the Orwell. Must save a couple of hours sailing for the raggies.

If they try to hike the premium at renewal you can tell them you've moved the boat, might help.

 

[Master_under_Dog]

Sympathies

I too offer my commiserations. I despair of this constant undercurrent of crime and vandalism. What possible pleasure can it give the perpetrators? All it does is to give the rest of us worry and a feeling that no-one can be trusted. Jessie goes out on her mooring this week and I am hoping that, as last year, there will be no problems. And that is the only real comfort that can be offered; that such incidents are, mercifully, fairly rare. But I hope the police catch these low-lifes. They must have left DNA all over your boat along with their footprints.

Michael