Abandoned Yacht

[haydude]

Incredible!

Here we have the police looking for someone who may or may not be the rightful owner seemingly just to prevent someone claiming it as "found".

If the boats rotting away through neglect what's the problem seems like a complete waste of police time...

Precisely! So they seem to have taken the time to write letters, but if you go and report a break in the aren't interested.

 

[Niander]

Good point about the mast! when was the ground dug out?

 

[Vidas]

As it looks this evening

 

[Triassic]

The law in Scotland may be different but in England you can assume rights of ownership over "found" property providing it appears abandoned and you have taken reasonable steps to locate/identify an owner. I would have thought the local police spreading the word via a well known internet medium would be entirely in keeping with "reasonable steps" along with the other enquiries they seem to have made. They really ought to put some kind of sign on it indicating it appears abandoned as well just in case someone does have an interest in it.

 

[Kelpie]

I vaguely remember as a kid, we found a bic dinghy washed up on the shores of the loch, and our parents said they reported it to the police and then after waiting a month it was ours. It mattered not that we had no oars, we had a laugh with the old tub. I'm always amazed when I see how small they are now, to us it was practically an aircraft carrier.

Sorry for the digression...

 

[Norman_E]

View attachment 52334
As it looks this evening

Someone has moved it to Australia!

 

[JumbleDuck]

Good point about the mast! when was the ground dug out?

Five years ago, in early 2010. Some pictures of the operation at http://nith-navigation.zvn2106a.net/latest-news/, including this

Originally there was a pound-and-gate arrangement behind the dock, using water from a burn to flush away the silt, but that has been derelict for many years, which is why it silts up. There is a similar abandoned system at Palnackie which is alas probably too far gone to save, as the walls are wooden piling and thoroughly rotten.

 

[steve yates]

Does that law in Scotland not apply to lost property?
That boat doesn't look lost by any means. Neglected doesn't mean lost. Ms campbell could have died and her family have no idea she had a yacht, or no idea what to do about it?
She could have gone abroad for a year, met someone and stayed, meaning to come back and sort it, but life gets in the way?

 

[ProDave]

I find this thread slightly worrying.

Tie your boat up to a quay wall. Let it get a bit grubby, and someone says "it's abandoned and I claim it"

Surely it can;t be that simple? Lots of people would be losing their neglected boats if that were the case.

 

[Vidas]

It's been there since 2004 , life must really have got in the way !

 

[Seajet]

I remember a big steel hull in a front garden on the old main road between Chichester and Emsworth, it was there for decades, just in red primer.

A few years ago it disappeared, I like to think the owner maybe saved up or won enough on the lotto to fit her out.

OTOH, years ago I found a chunky gold sovereign ring in West Street, a busy shopping area of Horsham.

Being a good chap I took it to the police station, where I was treated as if I was a bounty hunter who'd just slung a ' wanted dead or alive ' body on the counter.

" I suppose you want to claim it ? " --- I hadn't even thought of that, thinking I was doing someone a favour, so I thought ' sod it, I will then before it goes to the policeman's stash fund ! '

I kept tabs and 3 months later it hadn't been claimed, so I got £100 for it towards my boat funds.

Unless things have changed, in England something has to go unclaimed for 3 months after handing in / reporting.

I think the pro-active attitude shown by the police in the OP here is refreshing and highly commendable.

 

[Vidas]

Looked at the sluice gate wheel and spindle last night , looks recently oiled, perhaps someone is attempting to get it operational again?
Would be good if the did as the wee harbour is silting up again!

 

[JumbleDuck]

Looked at the sluice gate wheel and spindle last night , looks recently oiled, perhaps someone is attempting to get it operational again?
Would be good if the did as the wee harbour is silting up again!

It's ben nicely oiled for as long as I can remember, but I suspect the paddle is long gone.

 

[Strolls]

As it looks this evening

Someone has moved it to Australia!

For ease of reading:

 

[Solwaycruiser]

The person who 'found' the yacht did indeed claim it. It has since been in use and was in fact up the Clyde for a period of time. Unfortunately once again it looks as if it is abandoned but I don't think it has. Not sure though so perhaps someone else might try and 'claim' it.

As to the sluice it is operational and in use when there are big tides. There are plans I believe to electrify its operation but it will not be automatic. It will still require someone to push the buttons. Port of Dumfries Development Group are the ones doing the work.

 

[JumbleDuck]

As to the sluice it is operational and in use when there are big tides. There are plans I believe to electrify its operation but it will not be automatic. It will still require someone to push the buttons. Port of Dumfries Development Group are the ones doing the work.

Excellent. Thank you for the correction.

 

[Triassic]

Unless things have changed, in England something has to go unclaimed for 3 months after handing in / reporting.

28 days I believe.

 

[Seajet]

Triassic,

so it has changed since my little experience then ? 28 days seems to be cutting it a bit fine if someone has been off on holiday or something...

 

[ProDave]

This still puzzles me.

A boat moored up in a harbour. Reported as "abandoned"

Why not ask the harbour master who owned it and have they paid their harbour dues?

 

[Seajet]

Right, I'm off to sit by a marina with a deckchair and calendar; I reckon I should have a Swan and a Hallberg Rassey at least by 29 days time !