Zazur Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Hi guys, As some of you may know I am a Captain of a boat down here. Last week while I was in the UK my boat was stolen from her berth and driven out of the port and off into the sunset. I have just been grilled today by the Special boat investigation Police from Toulon here as I was the number 1 suspect as the boat has a complicated engine start up as 3 engines on only 2 throttle controls. Following my little chat of 5 hours, I am pleased to know they no longer suspect my involvement in this crime as it was reported by another Captain on a boat that I drove the boat out of the berth and port between 08.15-09.00 on the dreaded day. Now begins the of trying to get the insurance company to pay out the true value of the boat and not the silly amount I am sure they will try and pay out once they have completed their investigation. Boss not a very happy man. I have aged about 20 years since last week and was really annoyed when the private investigator and insurance people told me that a number of boats have been stolen this year but kept it quiet due to bad publicity and if I had know I could have taken preventive measures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 O M F G! thats shocking mate!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and getting a grilling too, at least they are thorough. sorry to hear it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Ouch, that awful bud. This bloody piracy thing in general is getting out of hand. Do you not have AIS, I take it they disabled it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cara Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Jesus, that is awful!! Glad to hear that you are no longer under suspicion. Must have been killer news to your boss.... (On a side note, I have just noted your location. I was in Monte Carlo in September, can I just say I am sooooooo jealous!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maccaman Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Evil thieving b*stards, should be hung up in public & have their gonads cut off I presume there is little chance of ever seeing it again? Just hope the insurance company comes through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Pardon my ignorance. But do many boats have alarm systems to stop property being nick or boats being stolen? Not good either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zazur Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Ouch, that awful bud. This bloody piracy thing in general is getting out of hand. Do you not have AIS, I take it they disabled it. Yep Martin of course. It appears they know quite alot about the systems on board so doesn't look like a joy ride. I think it has been stolen to order due to the fact my boat being a triple Arneson service drives it is not the easiest boat to manoverue and is a very big drinker with those 3 engines making it do 48 knots so you have to have big pockets. It was no accident as you can't miss the 3 big props poking out the back of the boat when you look at the stern from the dock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zazur Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Evil thieving b*stards, should be hung up in public & have their gonads cut off I presume there is little chance of ever seeing it again? Just hope the insurance company comes through. Had meetings with insurance company the other day and they have hired a detective who I also met and he will try to find it. Due to the value of these things they will try very hard to find it or they lose alot of money on payout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srobrien Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Crazy man, don't suppose it was cheap either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Its the same with any expensive toys I guess. It doesnt matter how much security you fit, a professional thief will always fin a way around it. Whats the range of the boat and was it fully fuelled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zazur Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Yep, fully fuelled 6,000 litres so she has a range at 36 knots of 350 nm (nautical miles for you non guys) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Thats not good, they can go economical and get a lot more then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zazur Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Pardon my ignorance. But do many boats have alarm systems to stop property being nick or boats being stolen? Not good either way. Yes bronzee alot do, but one problem is when you fit the siren etc if you want it to be heard you have to fit the noisey bit outside and it can very easerly be disabled if you fit it inside the boat then it's tricky to hear it when it goes off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zazur Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 They can Martin but I will guess they put the hammer down to get out of the area and make the search pattern very large. Could be out of the Med via Gib or gone down Italy and turned left. Big search area and lots of places to hide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 And lots of people with plenty of money standing by for a bargain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zazur Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Yep, the Police told me in 99.9% of these situations it's either insurance fraud (it's not that) or the boat is for someone in the money laundering game who can't buy their toys legally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Gutted i suppose doesn't cover it mate. Big business for some though i guess, My Dad has a brokerage in Mallorca and 2 of his clients have had boats stolen over the past couple of years i think one was intercepted in the med somewhere and the other was found in North Africa. I guess fraud would be a highly probable especially during these financial woes, as boats are are an expensive luxury that all to often people enter into the fraternity then the true costs of it come to light and they need a quick fix. Hope its resolved quickly for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FIDDYZ Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Lovely boat.. Guess its hard to find them once they go, not may about but presumably easy to hide unless its at the bottom of the briney.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich5259 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 if it makes 48knots it might have been taken to make 1 run from north africa to europe with some white powder on board or a few dozen migrants who got ripped for 20grand each Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 How much was it worth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zazur Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 Drug running was mentioned by the insurance guy and the detective due to it's speed but the Marine Police from Toulon said unlikely due to the fact that the boat has to be "clean" not to rise any suspicion. They told me the last couple of boats that they have dealt with, 1 was stolen from Monaco and was found in North Africa, the 2 people were arrested and are now enjoying free board and meals but the ring leader was not caught. The other one, the owner was going backrupt and they found the boat under water, he is also staying in rather exculsive lodgings. The boat is worth over 2 million, but I bet the insurance wont see it that way. Will update as I find out more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Walker Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 What a lovely vessel, hope they find her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmJak Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I take it the boats have unique id numbers like chassis numbers? Wouldn't have thought it would be easy to hide a high profile boat like that - obviously the world's bigger than I thought! Hope it gets recovered soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N1SM0350z Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 B@stards! Id be fuming! Do they not have trackers fitted? (I dont know much about boats ) Was this the new one you were talking about your boss wanting a while back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexx Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 gutted for you. That is one sexy boat too. Its probably on a flat rack, in a MSC cargo hold, on its way to prety much anywhere. AIS isnt difficult to switch off - just kill the power to the unit and job done. I take it you dont have Sat-C or LRITS on board as you're far too small to requre that kit. Shame, as you could have polled the Sat-C unit if it was powered up. Its one of those things that not many people know you can do with a Sat-C unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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