Thieves hit 27 boats in two weeks

Police have not made any arrests, but say they have leads in the rash of holiday burglaries on boats at marinas in St. Petersburg.

By LEANORA MINAI, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 3, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG -- At least 27 boats at marinas in St. Petersburg have been burglarized over the past two weeks.

The rash of break-ins began Dec. 21 when tools and electronics were taken from boats docked at Gulf Coast Yacht Sales. The burglars also hit at least two other marinas, Sailor's Wharf and Renovators Yachts Inc., stealing items on Christmas Day.

Burglary Sgt. Bill Lusby said Wednesday that no arrests have been made, but "we've got some good leads."

Seven boats were burglarized at Gulf Coast, 101 16th Ave. S. One of the victims, Mike Pearce, was burglarized twice in 24 hours.

On Dec. 21, the thieves broke the lock on the hatch of Pearce's 50-foot sailboat and took a stereo, TV and VCR. The stereo speakers were left behind, but the burglars returned the next day, cutting the new lock and removing them from a cabin.

"It's ridiculous," said Pearce, who added that his missing television is 13 years old. "If they had wanted the television, I would have given it to them."

At Sailor's Wharf, nine boats were burglarized on Christmas, police said. The thieves jumped the fence into the boat yard.

"On Christmas morning. Can you imagine? They don't even take a break on Christmas morning," said Sandy Helsen, co-owner of Sailor's Wharf.

About $30,000 worth of property was taken from her customers' boats at 1421 Bay St. SE, she said. The equipment included laptop computers, VHF radios and depth finders.

"These are guys who have done this before or have researched it a lot because they were in and out very quickly," Helsen said.

Eleven boats were burglarized at Renovators Yacht Co., 1600 Third St. S.

Michael S. Mitchel, who keeps his boat at Renovators, was somewhat lucky. The thieves took binoculars, a few wrenches and a cheap drill. They left behind a bag of quarters, worth $12.

Said Mitchel: "What I find strange is there was thousands of dollars' worth of stuff that they took out of drawers and just left sitting there."

Police asked that anyone with information about the burglaries call (727) 893-7127.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright