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montenido · 11-09-2017, 19:13

Hi folks,
I was at the Isthmus in Catalina this past weekend. My wife and I met another couple and ended up spending time with them. They told us that on Saturday, the 4 guys on the boat next to them loaded up their dinghy to go diving. When they returned a while later, there was a young couple inside their boat!! When the men confronted them, the couple quickly dove overboard and swam to shore. The men were not able to tell if anything had been taken (CC, cash, etc.), but they were very upset, none the less.

They did not report the intruders as far as I know, but I certainly would have. It might help to know that they were moored in the second row from the beach, so a very short swim for somebody on shore. I would guess that this couple watched from shore to see when people left their boats unattended.

Anyway, a big heads-up for all of us. Lock your boat, even if you are leaving for a short time.

Cheers, Bill

Zugbug99 · 10-10-2017, 12:44

Hi Bill,
Thanks for the informative report. Many times we are lulled into a sense of total relaxation when on the hook, or anchored in a beautiful place.
Two Harbors Catalina is a beautiful place. You can walk across the isthmus in about 10 min at a leisurely pace.
There is a high speed jet ferry that will take you from San Pedro pier to Two Harbors or Avalon.
I suspect the rats took the ferry and scoped out a boat to steal from.
At the very least I would have immediately reported the intrusion to the harbormaster.
There is a police force (2 officers) at Catalina. They may have been able to pick them up.
I hope they were not boaters.
Padlocking the hatches when ever you leave. Even in beautiful places. Sorry to admit it but it is the state of affairs we live in.

Kenomac · 10-10-2017, 12:59

We had the same thing happen to us while anchored in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. We took the dinghy into the dinghy dock to drop off my daughter and a friend. Some kids on the beach seized the opportunity to swim out to the boat, board and were just getting into the cockpit when they spotted us returning at high speed. Jumped in and swam for shore.

Very rare for this to happen in Montenegro, but there're tourists there from all over. We no longer leave the boarding ladder down... why make it any easier. We were only gone for less than ten minutes. It's also the one spot where we need to anchor only around 200 meters from shore due to the cruise ships, normally, we're much farther out.

Makes us wonder what goes on when we're not around. At our business in Massachusetts, our security cameras are always catching would be thieves... they make the move, then spot the camera.

**JPA Cate** · 10-10-2017, 13:31

Something similar happened one time in Blackwattle Bay in Sydney Hbr. to some Canadian friends of ours. They were asleep, and woken by noise in the cockpit. A party of four had swam over to drink some more on the boat. No concept that it might have been occupied. Our friends appeared, starkers, and moved to detain the intruders. The intruders leapt into the water and swam ashore, one of them minus the jacket he had been wearing, that stayed in our friend's hand. They also left 2 6 packs of beer and a bottle of Galliano.

Your boat may be your home, or your toy, but to others, it is merely an object, even if it is one that might contain stealable *stuff*.

Fwiw, boardings for the purpose of theft-for-sale take place more often in the months leading up to Christmas, in some locations, or so we were told by an Australian LEO.

Ann

jeepbluetj · 10-10-2017, 13:51

This past weekend? As in Buccaneer Days?

I'd wager a guess Zugbug is most correct: some revelers that came in on the flyer.

Or, if I was being nice, it was somebody that possibly thought they were on their own or friends boat. Easy to see how that could happen during Buccaneer Days. Hard to see how they'd be sober enough to swim back in tho.