trashed

[suse]

My small exceedingly scruffy sabre 27 was broken into in the yacht club compound last Thursday, and the inside trashed (amazing how far rice cakes crumble). The dear souls who entertained themselves this way had got into the compound through part of the high metal fence which had been cut through and wrecked. How can I protect my boat, if people even go for the extremely tatty end of the market? We replaced the hasp and staple, but were told it might be better to leave the padlock a)off b)open c)dont replace it with a bigger one, as all of the above will (not would) cause much more damage when (not if) they return. Fortunately, only 2 fire extinguishers were stolen, and they only pi**ed on the horrible carpet, which I was going to throw away anyway, rather than explode the extinguishers inside and pi** on the cushions. Grateful for small mercies, but cleaning the bilge wasnt nice - thank god I have incontinent dogs, so plenty of practice. They tried to get into some other boats, but mine is lower to the ground (bilge keels, rather than fin) and more accessible.

Any suggestions? The compound is well lit, well fenced and policed by club members, but obviously they're not always patrolling.

suse

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[Deleted member 478]

Yep, it's easy, leave England and go cruising NOW....

No more hoodlams, no more Pinnochio Blair, no more taxation, no more rain.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=blue><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.stingo.co.uk>http://www.stingo.co.uk</A> - now cruising nowhere near you</font color=blue>

 

[suse]

Ha - been following your journey, with its various ups and downs. My problem is serious lack of money overall and all prospects currently used up! Otherwise I might. But there's also lots of the rest of the world which isnt on or by the water, which is on my list.

But dont tell me there are no crooks anywhere else in the world except Kent, cos I wont believe you!

Best wishes and glad your boat's up and running again. Try not to break anything else, will you?

suse

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[AndrewB]

Tough luck Suse, I'm really sorry to hear that. The distress is always out of proportion to the actual loss.

Presumably this was somewhere on the Medway. Sadly it's an area with a bad reputation for petty theft and mindless vandalism, specially outside of the marinas. Moving your boat away would help.

Personally I don't agree with the 'make it easy' theory. These are kids who aren't stealing to order, they just go for the softest targets. There is no reason they'll target you again, unless you still look soft, though being easy to climb aboard is a serious disadvantage in that regard. As well as beefing up the lock, there is some sense in an audible alarm while its in a compound.

We had one break-in on the Medway shortly after we bought our present boat, so installed steel bars across all hatches and washboards, anti-jemmy bars around the main hatch, and an internal lock as well as a heavy duty anti-hacksaw external padlock. (Plus some other, not so obvious precautions). No further trouble either there or anywhere else, even when boats all around us were broken into.

 

[Talbot]

Good to hear that your sense of humour is back /forums/images/icons/smile.gif Do you know yet what caused the fitting to fail?

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[Deleted member 478]

Suse

You don't need much money to go cruising and it's like traveling around in a big suitcase and you're not restricted to destinations with anchorages... leave the boat there, then catch a local bus to where you want to get too. I've come across people in the most unlikely of boats that live off less than Euro 500 per month.

A large portion of cruisers live off rental income so if you own a place, start packing.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=blue><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.stingo.co.uk>http://www.stingo.co.uk</A> - now cruising nowhere near you</font color=blue>

 

[suse]

oh oh - forgot to mention family commitments and now grandchildren - all of whom need all sorts of help. No, it's not an excuse, it's reality. Oh the ties that bind, can sometimes be a bind - rarely, though.

As far as heavy duty bars etc - well, that was my immediate thought, except I was told not to do this (edited - thanks Jools)<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by suse on 19/07/2004 15:41 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

Suse, can you delete the last part of your message please, it reads like instructions. This is a polite request, I had not thought of that and others reading might not also.......

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>

</A>

 

[AndrewB]

Re: trashed *DELETED*

Post deleted by AndrewB

 

[suse]

Ah - Andrew - could you edit your message - gives too much away, I just did this - how naive can I be? Yep, loads, obviously. Thanks.

suse

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[Sunnyseeker]

We were given a cheap and easy solution, that might keep the majority out.
We bought 5 rape alarms from radio shack for £5-6 each, fishing wire for trip lines.
One on deck, and one on each hatch. Meant we could leave hatches open to ventilate and if someone was that determined then at least they wouldn't break the hatch getting in. One boat taped them half way up the mast, once the trip pin is pulled out they dont stop!
We used them when we were aboard in dodgy harbours or isloted anchorages, so that we would get some warning if someone wanted to join us, probably a bit excessive for Cambridge?


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[suse]

Might just look into this one - a loud noise would activate the club 'police' - I hope! The boat is out of the way otherwise. Thanks!

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

When my dad had a new shed delivered while they were away on holiday, he had asked me to nip around after the delivery and check all was ok, i.e. delivery chaps had closed gates and everything was secure etc.

Well I had to have a nosey in the new shed didn't I. It had a door alarm activated by a string and pin arrangement. IT was LOUD, and painful, the shock as I was not expecting. I was trembling like a leaf and the simple procedure of finding pin and stopping the HORN was almost funny as I almost wet myself.

I was impressed, it might not stop someone breaking in, but might frighten off kids or be enough to alert someone close by to come to the boats aid.

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>

</A>

 

[Cobra]

Well Suse...if you insist on parking somewhere up the Mudway, what do you expect??!!

You should stick to the North of the Thames, bet you never had those troubles up in Ipswich?

<hr width=100% size=1>When God invented time he didn't give me enough of it. ND!

 

[mirabriani]

Condolences, I feel for you.
You might read Annie Hills book and a few others about selling and sailing away, also the £100 millionaire (Weston Martyr). They will make you feel better.

I may be repeating other deleted suggestions, but to activate alarms you might buy the fine cat gut in an anglers stores. Whilst there, ask for suggestions as to how to deter the little varmints.
Regards Briani

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[alahol2]

Several years ago we had a spate of this type of thing in the area, I considered stringing a couple of lines of fish hooks inside the cabin. I was also going to put up a big notice outside warning that anybody entering was liable to suffer physical harm. Does anyone have a view as to the legal position if a thief broke in and damaged themselves?

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.troppo.co.uk> Follow the Tightwad Sailor</A>

 

[Cobra]

The Legal Position?

Just think about the Norfolk farmer, Tony Martin...that should make the legal position about causing injury to an intruder PERFECTLY clear!!!



<hr width=100% size=1>When God invented time he didn't give me enough of it. ND!

 

[Stemar]

Re: The Legal Position?

There was a case like this in France several years ago.

A gentleman had a weekend home that was getting burgled on almost a weekly basis and Messieurs les flics gave him the sort of service we've come to expect from Mr Plod here.

When he'd had enough, he set up a bomb in a transistor radio. A local yob, well known to the local police, ignored all the signs that had been put up around the proberty, on doors and windows - and even on the radio itself, and duly blew himself up, said gentleman got five years for GBH

Nuf said (mainly cos I couldn't do the subject justice)

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[Cobra]

And I thought...

...that it was only the UK that had gone soft on the pilfering classes!

<hr width=100% size=1>When God invented time he didn't give me enough of it. ND!

 

[jhr]

Re: The Legal Position?

Hm. I always bite on this one, even though I swear that I'm not going to. There is a concept of "reasonable force" that applies in this kind of situation - you, as a house (or boat) owner have a right to protect your property and to take appropriate action in so doing. May I respectfully suggest that, however much of a thieving, lowlife scumbag somebody may be, it is not exercising reasonable force to maim or kill them if they are nicking stuff from you, or even damaging your property. If they are hurling themselves at you with a knife, it's a different matter, and it is acceptable to act in self defence, but I do not accept that Tony Martin, in particular, is any kind of hero, or was hard done by. In my view (and with half an eye on the libel laws), he killed somebody without lawful reason and he went to prison. Fair do's.

(Puts on nuclear fall-out suit) /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Je suis Marxiste - tendance Groucho