Boarded with bad intentions? - New Poll

[Hardhead]

If anyone has any interest, I've attached a new poll - this info might be more informative, as it allows a YES/NO to the general question.


Please disregard the repeated misspelling of dinghy... gets me every time..

[psk125]

Dingy dinghies aren't allowed in harbors in CT, just so you know. If a dinghy you tied to your boat while you were aboard isn't there when you want to use it, how are you sure it was stolen and didn't somehow come loose and drift off? Do you have to actually see the thief rowing away in the dinghy to know it was stolen?

[mikedefieslife]

Originally Posted by psk125

Dingy dinghies aren't allowed in harbors in CT, just so you know. If a dinghy you tied to your boat while you were aboard isn't there when you want to use it, how are you sure it was stolen and didn't somehow come loose and drift off? Do you have to actually see the thief rowing away in the dinghy to know it was stolen?

If you park your car on an incline and it’s not there when you get back, how do are you sure it was stolen and not simply rolled away.

Dinghies don’t magically break away, especially when clipped or tied properly. Just like cars don’t magically roll down hills when the handbrake is on.

[Training Wheels]

I’ve been amazed at the number of dinghies, kayaks, and paddle boards that we have seen or heard of that have gone adrift. You’d think sailors could tie better knots.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by Training Wheels

I’ve been amazed at the number of dinghies, kayaks, and paddle boards that we have seen or heard of that have gone adrift. You’d think sailors could tie better knots.

I always tie ours with two lines at night (and often, it is cabled and locked to our stern as well). One scary morning, anchored in the Bahamas, was waking up, walking to the stern and seeing that one line had come untied!

Nothing sadder than those 6:00 am VHF calls, "Has anybody seen a dinghy floating by?"

[Hardhead]

Hopefully, this poll will give us an average of crime incidents experienced by the average, sailing forum reading, cruiser.

[David M]

I have found a number of small boats and boards floating around the San Francisco Bay over the years. Many people don't seem to know how to secure them properly.

[oscarkramer]

I was boarded in the middle of the night while moored off of Dominica back in 2006. My girlfriend and I were asleep in the main salon. The next morning I found small items from my computer bag on deck, then discovered my wallet, which was laying on the chart table just next to us, was emptied of cash. Nothing else seemed to be missing. They didn't take my laptop, just the cash (around $300 US).
Later in the day, the mooring jockey came out to us and said he had heard about the theft. He revealed a couple of details that only the thief would know about, so pretty sure it was him. He actually brought the constable on board and they were pressuring me to go to HQ because they had found the perpetrator and needed me to identify him. Of course I declined since I never saw anyone, but they were really pushy about it.
In that conversation, I told the constable how I wished I had woken up to scare away the thief. To that, he said, "You're lucky you didn't wake up." Not sure what he meant exactly but it didn't sound good. He was probably right though. Even if I had had a gun, it isn't worth shooting someone for $300, or force the situation where I would have to act in self-defense.
In hindsight, I should have had a way to lock up the boat to prevent anyone from getting in, while still allowing ventilation. I think this is the only solution (along with scattering roofing nails on deck).

[Leo Ticheli]

Attached to the lifelines Port and Starboard, we have "Beware of the Dog" signs showing a snarling Doberman in honor of our 110lb quite protective Doberman, Max. I'm not 100% sure it would deter unwelcome guests, but Max has made an unforgettable impression on certain dockhands and some very nice Coast Guard guys who paid us a visit.

If it were to fall on me to choose a boat to board without invitation, I believe I would choose another.

Fair winds,
Leo

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by oscarkramer

I was boarded in the middle of the night while moored off of Dominica back in 2006. My girlfriend and I were asleep in the main salon. The next morning I found small items from my computer bag on deck, then discovered my wallet, which was laying on the chart table just next to us, was emptied of cash. Nothing else seemed to be missing. They didn't take my laptop, just the cash (around $300 US).
Later in the day, the mooring jockey came out to us and said he had heard about the theft. He revealed a couple of details that only the thief would know about, so pretty sure it was him. He actually brought the constable on board and they were pressuring me to go to HQ because they had found the perpetrator and needed me to identify him. Of course I declined since I never saw anyone, but they were really pushy about it.
In that conversation, I told the constable how I wished I had woken up to scare away the thief. To that, he said, "You're lucky you didn't wake up." Not sure what he meant exactly but it didn't sound good. He was probably right though. Even if I had had a gun, it isn't worth shooting someone for $300, or force the situation where I would have to act in self-defense.
In hindsight, I should have had a way to lock up the boat to prevent anyone from getting in, while still allowing ventilation. I think this is the only solution (along with scattering roofing nails on deck).

You're probably lucky you didn't wake up. One way of looking at it - would be the mooring jockey committed the theft, was in cahoots with the constable together, and together they planned a bonus to themselves by framing some enemy. IF someone was especially friendly with the constable, and did that, they probably wouldn't be adverse to knocking you on the head with a winch handle rather than be discovered. Who knows-

Some sort of security bars, and a loud piercing siren and bright light alarm are probably as secure as you can get in real life. If you have that, it should prevent all but blatant lawlessness hopefully.

[boatman61]

Get em before they get close..

https://interestingengineering.com/v...rone-in-action

[Group9]

From having dealt with criminals my whole life, I can tell you that there is a world of difference from the guy who unties your dinghy, and the guy who comes into your cabin at night. One is a scavenger, and the other is a predator. One will likely flee at discovery. The other one, who comes into your boat at night, has most likely already made a plan as to what he will do if discovered. He has already crossed a line that the guy just untying your dinghy probably hasn’t crossed, yet. And, he isn’t going to care that you were sure he would never come. In fact, he will appreciate it.

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by Group9

From having dealt with criminals my whole life, I can tell you that there is a world of difference from the guy who unties your dinghy, and the guy who comes into your cabin at night. One is a scavenger, and the other is a predator. One will likely flee at discovery. The other one, who comes into your boat at night, has most likely already made a plan as to what he will do if discovered. He has already crossed a line that the guy just untying your dinghy probably hasn’t crossed, yet. And, he isn’t going to care that you were sure he would never come. In fact, he will appreciate it.

That's exactly the way I look at it as well.

The one important exception to that though may be the young kid from a impoverished area. A fair number of the posts on these threads indicate the guy coming on board is exactly that, in an area like that. No excuse for theft obviously, but I think many here would regret seriously harming someone in those shoes, in the weeks and years after it happened. Strong emotions and fear justifiably run very high during such an occurance, and several sailors have said they were actually very glad they did not have a gun at that moment, in retrospect. They would not have wanted to have killed or seriously injured the person - as it turned out.

[Leo Ticheli]

Some genuinely tough guys preach preparedness with firearms or combat skills to deal with intruders on or in their boat. These tactics may be effective if you are wide awake, not surprised, extraordinarily skilled and practiced, and/or you have your firearms in hand. If there is more than one miscreant, your odds of success diminish greatly.

If you are jarred awake by an intruder armed with a gun, knife, or bludgeon, I don't think forcing a confrontation is a good survival plan. The most likely outcome is that you will be killed or injured. If by some chance you kill the intruder, especially with a firearm, you are probably in for misery at the hands of the local justice system and more financial loss than you would have suffered by just handing over your replaceable stuff.

I think the warranty on my second-degree black belt expired about fifty years ago and I don't fancy shooting anyone, so my plan is to hand over my stuff and hope I'm not dealing with some sadistic psychopath. I do have bear repellent which I will use if the attacker announces his intentions from a safe distance from the boat so I can squirt them, raise the anchor and get away; I believe the odds of this happening are slightly less than being struck by lightning during a shark attack, but you never know.

Fair winds,
Leo

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Get em before they get close..

https://interestingengineering.com/v...rone-in-action

Off topic comment --- but can you imagine if such a contraption was in the wrong hands? In the year 2050, we may have remote swarms of those things burning rooftops, controlled by some goofball or terrorist driving around in an electric van and smirking.

Or just AI, when the machines eventually rise up, and assert superiority in all things.