Stolen Boat on Ashby Canal

[MtB]

The owner has just circulated a poster widely, including the crime number 15000069023. The poster is a PDF that I can't persuade to copy into here at the moment as I'm on the iPad. To report sightings, dial 101 and ask for the Leicester police.

 

 

How might one find the whereabouts of this pdf?

[Dave Payne]

There is a boat at Boot wharf, nuneaton that might match this description, grey primer, look to be being restored, white upvc windows..... However i think it has been there for some weeks now.

[Yank on the Cut]

Just emailed poster to Mike on gmail. Hopefully he can load it here.

[BruceinSanity]

If you can view the PDF on your ipad, do that, and with it on the screen, take a screenshot by pressing and releasing both ipad buttons simultaneously. That puts it in your photos, then you can crop it etc if you need to and post it as a photo here.

Good thinking that man, I must be slow today:

Edited August 4, 2015 by BruceinSanity

[MtB]

Just emailed poster to Mike on gmail. Hopefully he can load it here.

 

 

Got it, thanks. Upstaged by Bruce though!

 

Here's a bigger version of the photo, grabbed from the PDF. I tried enlarging it further but the original image resolution is very low, so not much help.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Mike the Boilerman

[MtB]

Images again, displayed directly here:

 

 

 

 

 

A very distinctive boat with those square-cornered windows. Hard to disguise even by re-painting.

 

The second image is a much older photo, included to show details of the stern of the boat. It's now in much better condition according to the PDF.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Mike the Boilerman

[matty40s]

This passed me when I was painting in Tamworth two weeks ago. Pretty sure there is no red on it now.

[MtB]

This passed me when I was painting in Tamworth two weeks ago. Pretty sure there is no red on it now.

 

Was it before or after 27th July?

 

From the PDF:

 

"Until recently Cally Hanna’s permanent moorings had been at

Shackerstone on the Ashby canal (for 20+ years), but she had been forced

to move on from there and was then stolen from nearby Congerstone,

again Ashby canal between bridges 44 and 45. It is believed that Cally

was stolen from this location on the 27th of July."

 

It's odd how the owner seems to feel no sense of urgency in seeking the missing boat. Well over a week before a crime number or photo emerges into the public domain. And an odd turn of phrase, being "forced to move on" from Shackerstone. I wonder why he said that and if/how it relates to the theft.

 

 

(Spelling edit.)

Edited August 4, 2015 by Mike the Boilerman

[Athy]

I wonder what the motivation was. I mean, I do like the old Harborough Marine "banana bow" boats, they have much character, but if you were going to nick a boat, surely you would go for one which looked a little less careworn.

[cuthound]

Was it before or after 27th July?

 

From the PDF:

 

"Until recently Cally Hanna’s permanent moorings had been at

Shackerstone on the Ashby canal (for 20+ years), but she had been forced

to move on from there and was then stolen from nearby Congerstone,

again Ashby canal between bridges 44 and 45. It is believed that Cally

was stolen from this location on the 27th of July."

 

It's odd how the owner seems to feel no sense of urgency in seeking the missing boat. Well over a week before a crime number or photo emerges into the public domain. And an odd turn of phrase, being "forced to move on" from Shackerstone. I wonder why he said that and if/how it relates to the theft.

 

 

(Spelling edit.)

Matty was tarting up DQ between the 15th and 18th of July, so before 27th of July.

[Naughty Cal]

 

Was it before or after 27th July?

 

From the PDF:

 

"Until recently Cally Hanna’s permanent moorings had been at

Shackerstone on the Ashby canal (for 20+ years), but she had been forced

to move on from there and was then stolen from nearby Congerstone,

again Ashby canal between bridges 44 and 45. It is believed that Cally

was stolen from this location on the 27th of July."

 

It's odd how the owner seems to feel no sense of urgency in seeking the missing boat. Well over a week before a crime number or photo emerges into the public domain. And an odd turn of phrase, being "forced to move on" from Shackerstone. I wonder why he said that and if/how it relates to the theft.

 

 

(Spelling edit.)

Yes very odd and I do wonder if this has something to do with this "theft" of the boat.

[Athy]

I would guess that she was on the offside moorings which I think of as the Shackerstone Endless Moorings. The boat looks familiar to me, we venture down the Ashby every couple of years so I must have seen her during one or more of those trips.

 

Perhaps she was forced to move because mooring fees were outstanding? I can't think of another reason, it's a peaceful part of the world around there.

[David Mack]

Images again, displayed directly here:

 

 

 

 

 

A very distinctive boat with those square-cornered windows. Hard to disguise even by re-painting.

 

The second image is a much older photo, included to show details of the stern of the boat. It's now in much better condition according to the PDF.

 

The pdf says one of the photos is much older, but doesn't say which. My take on the text was that the front view was the old one, and the stern view shows the more recent dilapidated condition.

[MtB]

Yes very odd and I do wonder if this has something to do with this "theft" of the boat.

 

Yes. The arch turn of phrase makes me wonder if is she is actually back on that Shackerstone mooring again, put back perhaps by an unmentioned joint owner of the boat. Or person who considers themselves a joint owner.

[nomad - tuttle hill]

this boat been moved up and down the Ashby Canal . allways moored near access to a road!! been on the move since easter!

 

no tax and no mooring !

[RachW]

Hi all,

 

I know (well used to know) this boat very well, it is owned by my ex and we used to own it jointly from the mid-90s until around 2006, since when it has been solely his. As the poster states, it has been moored at Shackerstone for many years until the owner was asked to take it off the moorings because of its dilapidated condition. Since then he's been moving her up and down while trying to get sorted to do the work she clearly needs. As far as I know there is no dispute about ownership of the boat.

 

The owner is not on any kind of social media, which is probably why it took so long to get the information out.

 

None of this is anything to do with me, but there have been one or two comments along the lines of 'that sounds dodgy' so I thought I would chip in with what I know.

 

Rachel

[BruceinSanity]

Hi all,

 

I know (well used to know) this boat very well, it is owned by my ex and we used to own it jointly from the mid-90s until around 2006, since when it has been solely his. As the poster states, it has been moored at Shackerstone for many years until the owner was asked to take it off the moorings because of its dilapidated condition. Since then he's been moving her up and down while trying to get sorted to do the work she clearly needs. As far as I know there is no dispute about ownership of the boat.

 

The owner is not on any kind of social media, which is probably why it took so long to get the information out.

 

None of this is anything to do with me, but there have been one or two comments along the lines of 'that sounds dodgy' so I thought I would chip in with what I know.

 

Rachel

Thanks for that, makes the situation much clearer and straightforward. I'm surprised we've not had any sightings, though by now the boat could be almost anywhere on the system.

[Naughty Cal]

Was this boat under any enforcement action with CRT?

 

I'm not prying by the way just wondering if CRT have moved it.

[gaggle]

What makes you think , ENFORCEMENT ? , not prying you understand just wondering.

[peterboat]

Thats an easy one the boat might not have been moving enough and in the current climate its gone

 

Peter

[gaggle]

Hi all,

 

I know (well used to know) this boat very well, it is owned by my ex and we used to own it jointly from the mid-90s until around 2006, since when it has been solely his. As the poster states, it has been moored at Shackerstone for many years until the owner was asked to take it off the moorings because of its dilapidated condition. Since then he's been moving her up and down while trying to get sorted to do the work she clearly needs. As far as I know there is no dispute about ownership of the boat.

 

The owner is not on any kind of social media, which is probably why it took so long to get the information out.

 

None of this is anything to do with me, but there have been one or two comments along the lines of 'that sounds dodgy' so I thought I would chip in with what I know.

 

Rachel

Being moved .

Does not look like CRT have taken ownership or possession.

[Naughty Cal]

Being moved .

Does not look like CRT have taken ownership or possession.

Being moved could mean being moved an inch every six months.

 

We simply don't know how far or how often from that simple statement, hence my question.

 

Another member has already stated that the boat is unlicensed so it is safe to assume that CRT are aware of the boat.

[Dave Payne]

Was this boat under any enforcement action with CRT?

 

I'm not prying by the way just wondering if CRT have moved it.

 

 

But it was reported by CRT on twitter as being stolen?

[Cally Hanna]

Hi all,

 

Firstly, thanks to RachW for her clarification about why I hadn't commented on here before - my lack of being on any social media. Also, someone else I had met and talked to regarding the theft had said they would be doing it for me (thank you).

 

Now to try to add my own clarification. This is my first attempt on a forum, so apologies if I get anything wrong.

 

Firstly, the boat has been owned by myself for 20 + years, and last year I made the decision that I wanted to renew the superstructure so that I could keep her for another 20 + years.

 

Secondly, as you're probably now aware the boat theft was reported to both the police and CRT. This was the day after the theft when I found that Cally Hanna was not where I'd left her. Fairly sure about the theft date, because she was seen (by someone who knows the boat well) travelling the Ashby that day. I guess the initial theft could have been made the evening before though.

 

Cally Hanna had been moored on Shackerstone Wharf Farm permanent moorings for virtually all of the time she was on the Ashby Canal, most of my 20+ years of ownership. To clarify, I always paid my mooring fees in cash in advance, so this was not whay she had been forced to leave. The Land is Crown Estate land, and had recently had a new tenant. As I understand it this new tenant was trying to create a good impression and didn't like Cally's (admittedly) dishevelled appearance spoiling the view. To be fair I was given a some warning to try to improve this, but it took much soul searching to make the decision that I really did want to keep her and could find the time to do the job properly. When I moved her off I did request that my moorings be kept open for when I'd done the work on Cally (seeing as I'd paid in advance) and was led to believe that this would be done. It was only when CRT got in touch to say they couldn't renew my licence that I found out this wasn't the case.

 

Anyway, the licence issue did get resolved. Oh again for the record, the licence was always paid for in advance and for many years by direct debit. Admittedly the licence wasn't displayed on the boat which is probably a violation, but she was only being moved short distances along the Ashby (until other arrangements could be made) and would have been known to CRT officials in the area.

 

Hopefully enough information has now been provided to allay everyone's concerns about this being a timewaster. I had been concentrating my own efforts initially on thoughts that they would have wanted to get her out of the water quite quickly (and locally), possibly even to scrap. However, it now begins to appear that this was far more planned than I'd previously thought, which might mean they are trying to modify (paint) and keep her. So everyone please keep your eyes peeled and keep reporting - the hull in itself is very distinctive (probably uniquely modified) so even if a lot of work gets done to the superstructure she would still be recognisable. I have more photos if required, although I understand some of these have now made it onto Twitter.

 

I think I saw a comment about why take such an untidy and old boat? I couldn't agree more - whilst I personally have a strong attachment to Cally Hanna I can't for the life of me understand why someone would deliberately take her instead of a more modern boat!

 

In recent times I have not been an active boater, but when Cally was co-owned with RachW she visited all sorts of far flung corners. Whatever, Neither Cally nor myself deserved to have this done to us. Please help return her to her rightful owner.

 

Thanks all,

 

Carl.

[Dave Payne]

I hope you find Cally!

 

Nice to clear up the speculation also.