Last night we got robbed. We are docked across from Ponce yacht and fishing club. There are 4 other boats on this dock but we are the only live aboards. We have not been connected to land for a long time so it felt good to find a free dock and step over to land.
The sounds from all the bars on the board walk a few hundred feet from here was so attracting that we decided to go for couple of cervezas. We left the boat around 9:30pm and walked over to the board walk. We sat down at a bar where most people were hanging out and had a couple of beers, it was very pleasant. A few hours after it was way past our regular bed time, we decided it was time to head back. As we are approached the entrance to the dock we saw a guy running out and drove away in a hurry. Both Kelly and I suddenly had a bad feeling about that scene. We stepped down in the cabin and saw things thrown around, it looked like someone has been here. Yes we had been robbed. We were in such shock and couldn't do much. We realized that lots of valuable items were gone. Items such as a handheld VHF radio, 2 fishing poles, heavy duty battery driven flashlight, 2 head lights, iPhone, iPod, laptop, flare gun, a folder of all the manuals for each equipment & boat, and my most important tools the Dewalt heavy duty drill and driver.
We dont have much to start with and live on a very minimum budget. Now lots of our stuff is gone too.
The feeling of being robbed is awful. You simply loose your trust for all your surrounding and everyone around you. I couldn't sleep peacefully last night and kept waking up as soon as I heard any little sound.
Today we made a police report and I really hope at least some of the things get returned. We don't have insurance so what's gone is gone and some of the things we can't afford buying again. This is a lesson learned and I take blame for that. We just have been too comfortable anchoring all the time and we rarely lock the boat. We should lock the boat no matter for how long or how far we are going. I guess we have been at sea too long and forgot that crime still exists and some people look at us as wealthy because we have a boat. Maybe we needed to learn this lesson sooner with limited loss than later with a greater loss.
Oh no! So sorry to hear that, I know from personal experience how terrible it feels. Hang in there and please add one of those "click here to buy me a drink" PayPal buttons, your loyal readers will chip in!
ReplyDeleteThank you Captain Roo, everything will be ok at the end of day. I take the drink in spirit for now.
ReplyDeleteOMG! I am so sorry this happened to you two! I cannot imagine how devastating this must be. That was a lot of gear to lose and obviously, a felony charge to the culprits. Make a point to push the police every day to get results and do post your experience on the cruiser forums so others know to stay away & to spend their $$ elsewhere more safe. Let the authorities know you are doing that too - call the Mayor or whomever is in charge there & tell him that. I hear that often gets results as they don't want the loss of business boaters bring. Glad you two are OK and did not interrupt the thieves and get hurt! Finally Fun
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about this bad experience. Being a victim of theft is a sickening feeling of violation. Even worse is the loss of trust in goodness of fellow human beings. Hopefully you will recover some stuff, but realistically the only thing you can get from this experience is a resolve to secure your valuable the best you can so you never become a victim again.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the robbery. I was robbed once too - house break in - and it feels like a total violation. Hope everything works out and you get on your way. Hope the police find the culprit soon. By the way, a town we loved (Brittany, Scott and I) as Salinas. Hope to see you too again......"Uncle" Al
ReplyDeletePS - Kelly, my wife liked the haircut!
We have definitely learned from this experience. We are leaving toward Salinas tonight. Thanks uncle Al and all readers
ReplyDeleteOh no! These items are valuable and expensive! It's an awful feeling when all the stuff you've worked on so hard to obtain get stole in just a few hours. So how's everything now? I've just checked your latest travel post, and you guys went to Barbados. It's great to know you are enjoying every place you visit. Take care always!
ReplyDeleteGuy Chambliss
I’m so sorry for what happened. I know it feels awful that your stuff were taken away, and I think you guys are lucky enough that your life was not put to risk when the robbery happened. I remember when I had to visit a friend and some men robbed the house. It was a very traumatic experience. Being cautious is really the best way to avoid these incidents and their consequences.
ReplyDeleteMaggie Malone
until we met!
ReplyDelete