Some people never cease to amaze

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arfa

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I was looking forward to a good sail this weekend and get down to the boat and notice my mainsail stack pack is open when I left it securely sealed last weekend.
I think nothing of it until I try to attach the runners to the mainsail track and there is a crucial car missing (which attaches the battens to a runner to hoist it up the mast track). These are fairly heavy duty and don't "just fall off" (I check them before and after each sail).
Sadly I can only conclude that someone sees my boat on the hard and thinks it is a source of spare parts.
I have had the engine stolen off the back before but this actually annoys me more as the engine has some economic value.
Rant over.
 
Had a block stolen in March from the forward cleat... must have taken off the jackstay, unscrewed the block... reattatched the jackstay... very annoying. And that was in the Marina in Plymouth.
 
Sorry to hear you had a similar experience.
Mine was on the hard in a marina.
You'd like to think there is an understanding between sailors but clearly not.
 
arfa said:
Sorry to hear you had a similar experience.
Mine was on the hard in a marina.
You'd like to think there is an understanding between sailors but clearly not.
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It is always very disappointing when this happens as I believe that the vast majority of yachtsmen are as honest as the day is long.
Does the marina have CCTV? You should tell them as there may be other boats which have had stuff nicked.
 
They do have CCTV and are reviewing it now.
Sadly when my engine got nicked from the same spot, CCTV turned up nothing so I am not holding my breath
 
No reason to suspect anyone other than a selfish git - the monetary value of the part is tiny.
It's the fact I can't use my boat properly until I order and replace the part.
 
Sorry for your trouble. Hope the part arrives soon. sooner even.
If I was running a marina I would be worried about stealing from yachts. Nothing puts your clients off quicker than that. How long between the two thefts?
 
It has been a couple of years between incidents but i don't always keep the boat on the hard and both incidents have been when she's been on the hard standing.
To be honest with you , I understand someone who steals an engine to flog it for a few quid.
I do not understand someone who feels they can just help themselves to property knowing full well it is at the very least going to create major hassle and maybe even danger for someone else. To me, that shows a level of contempt and selfishness beyond the petty thief.
Anyway, it's not the worst thing to happen in the world and parts can be replaced etc so I'll quit moaning !

Fairwinds all !
 
arfa said:
I do not understand someone who feels they can just help themselves to property knowing full well it is at the very least going to create major hassle and maybe even danger for someone else. To me, that shows a level of contempt and selfishness beyond the petty thief.
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Petty thieves break car windows causing bills of hundreds of puonds in order to nick solething worth a fraction of that. Or puncture a fuel tank to steal £20 of fuel. No, the dishonest sector of the population have no conscience whatever.
 
I have no high expectations of anyone.
That way I never get disappointed, but often am delighted when I meet genuinely nice people.

This weekend the field we have our landings in was open as car-parking for the Windermere AirShow. 1000 cars.

I went out on the boat both days. I double padlocked everything, including the trailer and wheelbarrow (I use to transport the motor etc) whilst I was out.

A neighbour (who has our old B&B, overlooking the field) was out on his boat. When he came ashore the chain and padlock he secures his inflatable with had been stolen.
He's left it around the tree and closed but not snapped the padlock shut. So someone took what appeared to be a locked chain, by checking the padlock they knew it was open and pulled the chain from around the tree.

Annoying, but trivial. However, we now are suspicious of 1000 cars full of people.

Less trivial, the Lake Patrol had a £4500 trailer pinched from the same field a couple of weeks ago.The field was locked so the thieves must have lifted the gate off it's hinges.

(Patriot's tender still there)
 
My friend was sleeping aboard his small yacht attached to his permanent pontoon mooring early this month. Overnight his 2.3 Honda engine was stolen from his inflatable that was sat on the pontoon right alongside him.

I sold my last boat early this spring and as the boat was staying on the hard in the yard I advised the new owner, who lives and works in the north west of Scotland, to either put the new generation anchor in the boat, or padlock it down as it was most likely to disappear.
He was amazed when I told him how things get stolen from the south coast every week.
He put me in mind of when I was a kid. We'd go away for the day and leave the house open without any thought of locking up the sheds or putting bikes away etc..... how times have changed.
"Getting more like America every day" .... I can hear my old grandad saying.
 
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Northney Marina at the weekend, paying for our overnight stay, chap comes in to report that a wheel had fallen off his trailor just as he was towing it out onto the main road - some complete cretin had loosened and removed the wheel nuts!
 
Lakesailor said:
A neighbour (who has our old B&B, overlooking the field) was out on his boat. When he came ashore the chain and padlock he secures his inflatable with had been stolen.
He's left it around the tree and closed but not snapped the padlock shut. So someone took what appeared to be a locked chain, by checking the padlock they knew it was open and pulled the chain from around the tree.
Click to expand...

Common among bike thieves, knacker the lock (or in your case nick it), owner returns and either has no lock or a less secure one, now much easier for the scrotes to nick the item.

Either that or kids being bored kids of course
 
Depends on where you live I suppose. I've not locked the house for the last 20 years (including being away for up to six weeks) and I leave the keys in the car ignition overnight.

On the other hand I do lock the boat so that must show where my priorities lie!:)

Mike
 
Happy ending !

Top marks to Crusader sails - a phone call to them on Monday has the part sent out and arriving this morning in the post.

Cost - £20

Stuff it up factor from the tea leaf - priceless.....
 
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