Shilshole Blog

In light of last weekend’s boat break-in (see previous post by Kristen), it should go without saying that we need to be more diligent in our personal safety. It appears nothing could have stopped the break-in on Solana on A-dock (if the bad guys are determined, they will find a way) but we can all do what we never thought was needed here at Shilshole…

• Lock your boat when you leave, even for a short while..most crimes are “crimes of opportunity”
• Keep your personal effects out of site (wallet, phone, keys, handheld instruments, hard drives)
• Inventory your boat-VHF, SSB, computer, personal effects with serial number, value, and keep in a separate place
• lock your dinghy and outboard to the dock or boat
• move valuable items on deck out of site or out of reach from the dock; remove snatch blocks from rail, cover electronics
• boat theft is rare but it does happen-keep your boat keys or battery switch key out of site
• keep your eye open for strangers on the dock or on your neighbor’s boat-don’t be afraid to ask who they are and what they are doing there…if they belong, no worries, if not, you may scare them off.
• don’t let people “tailgate” you through the gate. If they just want to “look at boats” send them to the office to get a pass

Of course, as always…”if you see something, say something”!  Call 911 for any emergency-medical, fire, sinking, burglary. Call the Port 24-hr mobile number (you should have this in your phone) 206-601-4089 for anything/anybody out of the ordinary-they will investigate and/or get the Port Police down to check out the situation.

It takes all of us to watch out for our neighbors, and liveaboards, by definition, have a much better opportunity to know what’s happening on a daily basis.