Message ID: 3235_VJN2982
Date: 2017/10/08 01:49
From: VK2HBH
To: OE1DSW
Source: VK2HBH
Subject: Re: //WL2K hi

Hi Kathi and Wolfi,
We wonder where you are at present.  We suspect you may already be on your way to Australia.
We are in Bora waiting for a window to head back to Raiatea where we haul out on 19th October and back to Aus by 24th.  Cinderella and Modesta are here representing the Austrian Navy :).
I have written below a short story about our brush with a burglar.

We had left Eye Candy in the Raiatea boat yard for the summer of 2016/17 under the care of a boat minder.  We had not heard from the yard or the minder for 2 months and when we returned in April 2017 we were told that Eye Candy had been broken into breaking the companionway storm slides but that no other damage had been done.  The yard had replaced the damaged slide and initially we did not notice the repair.  After being told of the breakin we checked everything out and with the help of Clare's inventory, we discovered that all our alcohol was gone together with some cash in American dollars.  This amounted to 1 can of beer 3 bottles of wine, 1L whisky, 1L brandy and 9L of rum.
With this on our minds we asked around and discovered several other boats with similar loss of alcohol.
As is usual we stayed on Eye Candy for a few nights while she was being prepared for relaunching. On about the second night, Saturday, I (Andrew) awoke at about 3 am to the sounds of squeaking floorboards in the 40 ft Beneteau yacht immediately next to Eye Candy.  I went out into the cockpit and could see a flashlight being cast about inside the yacht.  We thought that this was not normal behavior as the owner would know where his light switches were.  We had spoken to the owner the previous day and he was set to launch his yacht the following Tuesday and we werent expecting him back until then.
The person aboard had placed a ladder against the hull, leaving his sandals at ground level, and gained access to the yacht.  We decided to remove the ladder to give the thief a bit of a challenge getting away.  We then sat in our cockpit and kept a careful eye on the yacht and watching and listening as the thief moved about inside and hoping to get a photo of his escape.  It eventually came as it was getting light at 5:30am when the forward hatch opened and out he came with his bag.  I immediately headed down our ladder and met up with him sitting on the transom steps looking for a place to jump.  He up on the yacht and me on ground level, I took many photos with the flash camera.  He said to me "no photos" in good english.  I replied "why not".  He retorted "I will shoot you!"  I could not see if he had a gun or not so I told him to "f.. off!" and I beat a quick retreat to our yacht.  He jumped off and left. 
We contacted the Gendarmes (which took a couple of hours at that time of night) and showed them the photos.  One of the photos had a good shot of him face on and showing a tatoo on his right shoulder.  I was asked to come to the station to make a statement and there they told me that they knew the thief from the tatoo and that he had been previously convicted for similar offenses but still at large as there was no room for him in the gaol in Tahiti.
Later we learned that the same thief was responsible for other breakins including the stealing of phones and a laptop found at his premises.
As far as we know he is still at large.  Needless to say that we are heroes in the yard.
This year we will be leaving no alcohol and no cash aboard and a sign saying such. 

I hope this is what you are looking for
Cheers.
AnC

PS what nets are running in Tonga/Fiji now?  We cant hear any over here.