Whilst 99.9% of the boating community are a lovely helpful polite bunch of folks I'm afraid its a sign of the modern times that the odd bad apple turns up.
I highly recommend justice Irish style (pick shaft handle) if you catch a thief it helps them to see the error of their ways..
Here's a true story about a thieving boater.
About 8 years ago a French man, Pascal, and his girlfriend were living in a place called Vias on the canal du Midi in the South of France on a 26' sailboat
Usual stuff, scruffy boat, heavy drinker a bar room expert and gabby, tapping into the electric and selling it to passing tourist boats, you get the picture.
Anyway this guy, Pascal, kept saying he was coming into money and eventually he did, he flew to America and bought a 38' sailing boat, then his girlfriend locked up the little sailboat and flew over to join him in the US of A.
Before I joined this forum I used to post on a sister site called 'Cruiser Forum' which as you know is mostly for sailing guys, to cut a long story short this guy, Pascal and his lady friend kept getting caught shoplifting/stealing until eventually it got so bad they had to leave the US before the sheriffs put him away.
So they gave the two fingered salute to the good folks in the US of A and sailed off down to the Bahama's and when going into a port down there they made a cock up of the navigation to the port approaches and they ran firmly aground.
Unable to get a tow or free themselves they called the harbour masters office by radio to get rescued but the word had been passed down, when they were eventually rescued they were arrested on the spot and thrown in jail, the boat and all their belongings were impounded (including passports) and they were deported under arrest after 6 months in jail.
This was all reported at various times on 'Cruiser Forum' by other sailors who'd had the misfortune to come across them on their travels.
They arrived back in France with nothing more than the clothes they stood up in and bummed a lift back to their sail boat to start over, in their absence their boat, looking abandoned, attracted other like minded thieves who'd stripped it bare.
When they stole the toilet the thieves simply cut the pipes and the boat sank.
The local authority lifted it out of the canal as a navigation hazard and cut it up into transportable pieces by the time Pascal and his girlfriend arrived back.
I happened to be there to see his return and I will never forget the expression on their faces. He was incandescent with rage, his girlfriend was wailing and crying. Other liveaboards, not familiar with the background, were commiserating them and I calmly recounted to him and the group the tales of his visit to the States and his ignominious return.
I've a deep code of honour and not a vindictive person but on that occasion I felt that by telling Pascal and his wife of their shameful conduct, on behalf of all those unknown shopkeepers and sailors in the United States who'd been wronged by Pascal and his wife that justice had been served in front of the assembled group.
They were shunned by the boating fraternity and last heard they were suffering ill health and living in social housing.
Karma !
