It really does make a lot of sense to have a tender that is fast, comfortable, and also a capable fishing machine. Towing – rather than stowing – that $300,000+ Venture or SeaVee tender is now common with many yacht operations. 

This new practical tender operation does, however, take a little extra care when reaching your destination down island or while on the hook.

These awesome tenders, often with triple power in excess of 1000 hp, have also become way too tempting for drug and human cargo smugglers to pass up or at least try and get their hands on.

These hybrid, multi-purpose tenders really do make sense to a yachting operation that also wants to offer a serious fishing or diving experience without the expense of operating a sport fish while offering equal or more square feet of fishing space that is capable of 50 plus knots. Their popularity has gained momentum and will only increase with time.

With this increased popularity one must become innovative to combat or diminish the success of the would-be thief and smuggler. So first, let’s take a look at how the thefts usually occur to gain insight as to how to prevent them.

In the marina setting, the most common theft practice is to conduct surveillance on the yacht’s operation from a distance – perhaps over a period of a couple of days – with a focus on the late night or early morning hours. Tie-downs, lighting, alarms and watches are all then noted.

Although thefts of tenders on the hook are more rare, they do happen.  Similar surveillances take place of the on-hook operations, normally by the perpetrators posing as passers-by, local fishermen, divers or workers.

Channel 16 is monitored by the thieves to gain information as to mooring or docking plans. If the opportunity for the bad guys is better at your next destination they can also start planning ahead before you even get there. Please be mindful of the information that is put out on the VHF about your plans and circumstances.

Once the security conditions and measures are observed and the weaknesses noted, a plan is hatched by the would-be thieves. The most common of plans is to walk the dock in an unassuming manner while approaching the tender, which is normally docked adjacent or tied up to the yacht to see if a challenge is made from the crew or dockhands.

The following day, normally during the early morning and a favorable tide or current, the lines are cut, either from the dock or by swimming up to the tender to eliminate any wake and sound. The tender is then gently pushed, allowing the wind or current to take the tender from its mooring.

Once the tender has drifted 50-100 yards away, it is attached to a line and towed from the area by a small, quiet boat. If confronted, the thieves confess to being good Samaritans, having found the tender adrift, and in the process of determining the owner and its safe return.

This method provides for a virtual silent maneuver with almost no wake.  The traditional anti-theft methods of removing various electronic components have no effect and the thieves can overcome any countermeasures taken at their leisure.

What to do?

1. Light-up the tender and its surroundings by a power source other than that of the tender. Preferably connect the lighting power source to the yacht – not the dock – so that it cannot be disconnected easily and requires actually boarding the tender to remove it.

2. Use an inexpensive motion detector alarm on the tender. The monitor/alarm should then be placed onboard the yacht where it is easily heard by a crew member.

3. Use one or more stainless wrapped cable(s) and pad locks to secure the lower units of the outboards to the dock. This should be done at night and removed in the morning so that anyone observing will not readily see the countermeasure being put in place. The cable should also be submerged as much as possible in order that it not be visible to the casual observer.

4. Place a heavy chain link through the gunnels to the dock in clear view. To the casual observer, this will appear as the only anti-theft device, leaving the other precautions undetected.

5. Install a locator system on the tender in the event it is taken so that it can easily and quickly be located and recovered.

When on the hook, a variation of the above measures can be adopted depending on your situation. I hesitate discussing these precautions in writing, but I believe the bad guys are not avid readers of The Triton. So let’s keep our little secrets amongst us good guys.

About the Author

Jim Kelleher

Columnist

Jim Kelleher is president of Securaccess, a global security consultancy based in South Florida. He is a retired U.S. Secret Service agent, a licensed U.S. Coast Guard captain, and the former vice president of security for the world’s largest fleet of private Feadships and Gulfstream jets. Contact him through www.securaccessinc.com.