‘We have these organized crime units, which consist of anchor-out pirates and shoreside crime,’ says yacht club assistant commodore.
OAKLAND, Calif.—Former harbormaster of Oakland Brock De Lappe doesn’t like to use the word “piracy” to describe waterborne crime on the Oakland/Alameda Estuary.
“People have this romantic view of pirates—Johnny Depp; Pirates of the Caribbean—argh! Avast ye, matey!” said Mr. De Lappe, a marine consultant who was also Alameda’s harbormaster before his retirement.
The reality is anything but romantic. The so-called pirates are nothing like the “Real Oakland Raiders,” as one newspaper headline put it.
“These people are just common criminals,” living on illegal “anchor-off” vessels committing robberies within the San Francisco Bay, he said. Anchor-offs, or anchor outs, are boats that are illegally anchored without a permit.
This past summer, a spree of robberies plagued the 800-foot-wide estuary involving stolen motor boats that were used to prey on larger vessels and marinas.
In one instance, thieves made off with three inflatable dinghies from an Alameda yacht club. Burglars hit at least four other Bay Area yacht clubs, a sailing center, and several owners living on their boats.
Mr. De Lappe, 74, said that while the city of Alameda has been diligent in keeping illegal anchor-offs at bay, Oakland continues to struggle with derelict boats, currently at around 20.
“There’s a criminal element that shows up that’s not just living on these boats anchored out,” Mr. De Lappe told The Epoch Times. “They get really aggressive, going out at night into marinas and stealing equipment off boats, stealing boats out of marinas.”
“Alameda has never allowed this to become a problem on their shoreline. They’ve been victimized. These pirates have gone into Alameda marinas. They’re feeling the brunt of it. But they don’t have the anchor-out vessels on their [Alameda] side.”
Outboard Motor Shop owner Craig Jacobsen said thieves struck two of his boats at his business in Oakland and made off with thousands of dollars in parts and electronics.
“We recovered it at the same [anchor-off] flotilla. I know of about 20 [boats] stolen,” Mr. Jacobsen told The Epoch Times. “They’ve all been found in the same place.”
“For a couple of months, it was serious. We got calls every day about people having their boats stolen. They’d go into the marinas at night, take the small inflatables and stuff, and take them over to their homeless encampment,” he said.
By Allan Stein
