Ox76
Member
At least he had a clean bottom on the vessel....
Why was the vessel disabled, and not under power? I understand the guy stole it and so may not have known how to run it, but he obviously motored it out there so he knew something.
I too am amazed at the skill and dedication of the coast guard crews, and swimmer.
Considering the sea state, my bet would be clogged fuel filters and not enough knowledge (or filters available on board) to get the engines running again.
On the news last night the video showed the subject boat blocked by one boat on either end. They had him stopped and he was on swim grid giving up when the boat was rolled over. Are we not getting the same news?
They marine traffic playback sure looks like they were herding the stolen vessel which did not appear to have AIS on.
I recently read a good book about the sinking of the replica BOUNTY during Superstorm Sandy some years back.
The CG rescue swimmers are in the thick of it. Very good read.
Ya gonna give us a hint?
Don't you PNW folks lock up your boats?
I actually know a lot of people that don’t lock their boats. Keys left in ignition switches too.
Really though, boats as a rule seem pretty easy to break into. My brother had his hatteras 52 stolen in tacoma several years back. It was locked at the time. Pretty ballsy thing to do, not many big sport fishers in Puget sound with a full tower so easy to spot.
Hi,
what thoughts do you have if they had lowered the driving anchor "drogue" into the sea, which would have turned the bow to the incoming wave?
NBs
Don't you PNW folks lock up your boats?
Which brings me to what this nutter was trying to accomplish. Get back to Canada without hitting a border crossing? Gunkhole his way down to Mexico in the middle of winter? Any news or theories?
I agree, I see tons of boats with the keys in the
Plus, with a little bit of electrical knowledge, someone could easily get a boat (especially with an outside helm) started without the keys.
Plus, with a little bit of electrical knowledge, someone could easily get a boat (especially with an outside helm) started without the keys.
Agree. That's why I always rig a discreet, unlabeled battery switch in the circuit for the starting batts. A knowledgeable boater with enough time would eventually figure it out, but the casual / impulsive / delusional boat thief would probably get impatient and look elsewhere for lower-hanging fruit.
For those of us with electronic engine controls, e.g. MMCs, another discreet anti-theft device is the breaker for the 12v. circuit powering the shifters and throttles.