Pirates

[Selfey]

Is there anyone that has experienced pirates on UK rivers that would be able to talk about there experience or at least tell me about it?
This would help greatly to a degree project I am working on. I know it happens abroad but would like to know if there are many incidents on UK waters
Thanks

 

[miket]

Bad case around the South Stoke area or was that a Cowboy?!
Also in pool of London pirates can board you from fast inflatable boats, wearing fatigues and balaclavas. Often posing as protecting another bunch of pirates based in an old castle in Westminster.
1st lot can be easily satisfied by copious quantities of coffee.
2nd bunch I usually appease by emptying the holding tank as I go past. (Makes me feel better anyway!)

 

[Gavi]

River based theft perhaps? I still wonder how my good quality parasol managed to "blow away" from my mooring while a cheaper alternative did not. Research on this forum suggests a fast attack narrowboat was guilty. And I'm not joking.

And don't get some peeps on about the EA...

 

[Ramage]

Our moorings had several visits from a bunch of yobs on a Dory. If anyone was in the moorings they would turn round and zoom out again, but if no-one was about they would nick petrol tanks from outboard-powered cruisers. On one occasion they left an empty one behind!

And this winter someone broke into a boat and started living there... and it was one that was covered in a blue tarpaulin.

 

[byron]

Piracy! In the strict sense of the word. NO! You have to go to the South China Sea, the Phillipines and off the coast of West Africa to really experience old fashioned piracy. You have to realise that on the non-tidal rivers there is no-where for a craft to run to and hide having enacted a piratical act.
Piracy on the Thames is more a case of people (yobbos) boarding your craft snatching something and legging it. I haven't experienced that but others have. In my experience these incidents have happened to hire boats rather than private craft.

 

[Brayman]

I've know quite a few people whose dinghies stolen from their davits, even when in marinas. One was recovered, with the bolt croppers left in it, when it ran out of fuel, having been through a lock.

Depends how you define prirates I suppose. There were a few boats on their moorings at Henley that were broken into last year. The thieves seemd to be quite intelligent and mostly took valuable electronic items.

 

[charliespan]

Thieves drifting down through the moorings disguised as
"fishermen" with outboard trouble. Complete with rods they
couldn't even be bothered to bait up or attach a reel to.
They were "persuaded" to fish elsewhere.

I have heard of fabled pirate hideouts near the Thames
filled with tins of expensive paint and chests of stainless shackles.
Beware their flag - the cash register and crossed bones!

 

[chuckaduck]

Pirates ?

YOU MUST BE REFERRING TO THE EA

After all they are robbing us blind !!

 

[Kilter]

You need to speak to Cuchilo who posts in these regions...he has intimate knowledge of pirates on the Thames.

 

[Gavi]

[ QUOTE ]
Pirates ?

YOU MUST BE REFERRING TO THE EA

After all they are robbing us blind !!

[/ QUOTE ]

I refer to my earlier post /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Cliveshep]

Moored outside Tesco in Reading last year, wife stayed aboard while I and kids went to get stores. Two teens came aboard whilst third stayed on bank. Scared hell out of wife who responded by attacking them verbally. They ran off. This was around 3.00pm so middle of the day and in middle of loads of other boats, and no, we are not a hire boat!

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

23 June, be warned

 

[Brayman]

Several years ago outside Caversham lock teenage "travellers" were known to be approaching boaters to "let's have a look in your boat mister" having previously complimented the skipper on how good his boat looked - while one was asking the other nipped inside and stole whatever they could.
Ever since, we have kept our side door locked when going through Reading and ignored the lovely locals.

 

[Gavi]

[ QUOTE ]
23 June, be warned

[/ QUOTE ]

lol, tell me more

 

[aztec]

what about your bench???

wasn't that "pirated" away?

 

[Battersea_on_Sea]

Heavens, this all sounds a bit scary! I thought pirates maimed, killed and stole vessels. Are we really talking about petty thieves in this strand? (Just a thought, but isn't calling the thieves 'pirates' a bit like calling a dodgy trader a 'gangster'?)

 

[byron]

[ QUOTE ]
Heavens, this all sounds a bit scary! I thought pirates maimed, killed and stole vessels. Are we really talking about petty thieves in this strand? (Just a thought, but isn't calling the thieves 'pirates' a bit like calling a dodgy trader a 'gangster'?)

[/ QUOTE ]
Yup! that's the whole point, there are no true Pirates on the Thames unless you count petty thieves and boatyards.

 

[Captain Coochie]

[ QUOTE ]
[there are no true Pirates on the Thames /quote]
There are and i have been boarded many times by the infamous Forbsie black beard .
Forbsie black beard was very active around the summer of 05 . Boarding craft and plundering its precious cargo of wines and ale and is know to leave the unsuspecting boater unconscious .
I hear that he has fled the non tidal Thames and has gone into hiding around the Twickenham area while he gathers crew for his next voyage .
Rumour has it that he is teaming up with Scott of the sunken tender and Luna the Labradorian .

 

[Forbsie]

Oooh AAARR!!

Problem is the minds going nowadays.

Last night, having been trounced by Jonno and his scurvy naves, I boarded Lodestar, a lurvely dutch barge famous round these parts. After being fed and entertained by the buxom Helen, I produced my own bottle of grog (Mount Gay Rum) and within minutes the master of the vessel was fast asleep. Scott of the sunken tender whisked the lovely Luna the Labradorian out of the main hatch before you could say "shiver me timbers". He hasn't had liquor from me since the last time he fell in the river.

Just as I started getting the full attentions of the lady of the boat, my noggin started its slow journey to the table and I was ushered out of the barge and back to my hammock. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Medskipper]

Re: Pirates! of course we still have pirates!

These people normally set traps for us boaters! they rent a space and fill it with grossly overpriced bits of kit that when looked at cry out, buy me, buy me! and of course as we are just weak willed boating types we fall right into the trap! out comes the wallet and the pirates grab the contents with glee! what are these pirates called these days, well of course pirates is to obvious, they have cleverly changed their name to: CHANDLERS!

Barry