Stolen Benetau

[seafox]

An Oceanus 34 Benetau only 1 year old was stolen from Mana Marina in New Zealand a few days ago. The theives broke into some nearby boats and took flares, liferaft, epirb etc.
Be a laugh if they set off a stolen epirb. When Maritime calls the owner to confirm the activation he could say "everythings ok thanks" and let the pricks drown!

[ssullivan]

Surprising. You don't see many crooks making off with sailboats. Typically, they steal power boats since (and no offense to power boat operators) they are less complicated to operate.

[seaclusion]

No offense taken, but the reason thieves rarely steal sailboats is that there is no quick moving market for them as you are probably finding out first hand. In addition when stealing a powerboat you have half a chance of getting away from whomever may be chasing you. Stealing a sailboat is like stealing a moped when the cops have high power cars to catch you.

Richard

[ssullivan]

Ha ha ha... you HAVE to be kidding. I have had more than 120 emails on my boat and it's already under offer. "No market" for a sailboat is a very VERY inaccurate assessment of the used sailboat market.

But Richard... who is the cop going after, the guy in the Ferrari, or the guy on the moped? You'd get away in the stolen moped every time. It's all about blending in....

[seafox]

We have had some shocking weather here lately. The day it went was gale force and we have since had some storm force winds. There are very few places to take a yacht in NZ that you could hide it and get away with it. The fact that they took a liferaft makes me think they may have gone off shore.

The tidy yachts in our Marina sell quite quickly. I have a Vindex launch opposite me that has been on the market for over a year.

You need some skill to steal and sail a yacht. If you can start a car you can probably work a launch.

[Tropic Cat]

Sean,

You're not playing fair , your boat shows like a model home in the Hamptons.... that is if there are any model homes left in the Hamptons.

There's are part of you that's going to miss 'er.

Rick in Florida

[seaclusion]

Ssulivan,

I'm glad to see that you reside in the honest persons camp. When trying to catch or thwart a thief you must think like a thief. Any stolen article does not sell on the legimate used market. It sells on the black or gray type market. Typical sailboat buyers don't generally shop in those circles where high speed powerboats have ready buyers in the illegitimate market.

Richard

[Sandero]

I would think that it is easy to steal a sailboat. Where Shiva is moored hardly anyone is around and no one pays a mind to the moored boats and what is going on in them... even when a yard comes by and drops off a mechanic.

One could easily break in to most boats.. many are left open for ventilation... and spend time below getting acquainted with the boat... come on deck... drop the mooring and motor off to some other harbor and drop the hook, or pick up a mooring or even take it to some yard and have it hauled and blocked.

I have never had to prove I owned my boat to any boat yard where I stored it. They all assumed it was my boat.

Once hauled you could change the name and the paint etc and conceal the stolen property.

Frankly, I point this out because no one is out there on the water looking for "suspicious" boats. What does a suspicious boat look like? Weaving and bobbing through channels? Speeding? hahaha

People don't steal sailboats because sailors are not thieves. But truth be told.. sailboats are very easy to sail...not any one... but some are. You are not going to steal some boat in a slip at a yacht club or marina where the owner is well known. But many sailboats are left unattended on moorings and who even knows who the owners are and what they look like? I only know the owners of the boats right close to mine as I see them come and go several times and often strike up a conversation. But 500 feet away? Not a clue.

Think about it.

A couple years ago, here in Puget Sound, someone stole a Santa Cruz 50 that was in a number of races (it may have been smaller, but it was a Santa Cruz). They found it and caught the guy a year later up in Alaska. It was discovered by someone who heard about the theft in the local rags (48 North) and had recognized the boat from the races it was in.

Apparently the thief didnt bother to repaint the name. He just covered it up with tape.

[Alan Wheeler]

I think in this Incident, the Thiefs would have had to know what they are doing. Firstly, they new what gear they needed to take. Opertunistic thiefs would have just taken random strange stuff.
Secondly, it ain't no "everyday" looking boat. Shes new and shiney and will be eye catching. Not an easy thing to hide, at least here in little NZ.
And thirdly, the most important, Mana Marina entrance is a river bar exposed to the Westerly gales we are getting at the mo. The seas are huge out there and have been for weeks on end. We get the odd calmer day, but most days for the last 4-6weeks have been blowing 30knts average and some blows have been as high as 80knts. One gust was measured at 167Kph. So crossing that bar at the mo is not for the faint hearted or non-experianced.
But I also can't see this boat going over seas, unless it is going to be ditched somewhere. It would be highly unlikely that someone could make it into a foriegn port without being spotted.
We did have a recent stolen yacht story here on our East coast. The guy stole the boat from a port called Lyttleton and sailed it up the East coast. The east coast sea's are open to the big Southern ocean storms and they guy got a little scared of the seas. So he beached it. The locals that went out to see a stricken yacht and see if they could offer assistance meet with a "boaty" that was quickly leaving the scene yelling over his shoulder, "take what you want, I'll never go sailing again". Of course, they thought that was a strange comment even for a scared boaty to make, so some one tackled him and they managed to arrest him.

[Chrisc]

They have just recovered the yacht and arrested the bloke who stole it. Apparently he stole another yacht earlier in the month.
Why doesn't he go and crew for someone if he's so keen on sailing?

[EagleSailTwo]

Originally Posted by Chrisc

They have just recovered the yacht and arrested the bloke who stole it. Apparently he stole another yacht earlier in the month.
Why doesn't he go and crew for someone if he's so keen on sailing?

How far did he get?

[Alan Wheeler]

Hmmm, wonder if it's the same bloke.

[Chrisc]

Accroding to the news article, the boat was recovered somewhere off the Wellington coast - I guess 50 miles at best

[seafox]

hey wheels, aparently he is the same guy who took one from waikawa last month and Picton the other day. Must be a bit of a nutta.
Storm force again in the Strait tomorrow. Will shoot out over the bar Friday morn and see if it is worth crossing the Strait around lunchtime Friday. There could be a small gap before it blows again Sat and Sunday.