Empress Tender Like New!

The Driscoll Mission Bay boat yard did a great job repairing all the damage done to the Empress tender by the thieves.  The cost of almost all of the needed repairs was reimbursed by the insurance company.  In addition, at my expense, Driscoll installed a new rub rail and painted the bottom.  The old 13-foot Boston Whaler truly looks and performs like a new boat.  Bravo Zulu to Joe Driscoll, Evodio Nieto, and their crew at Driscoll Mission Bay.  I highly recommend this yard.

Empress Tender After Repairs

Back at End Tie G at Marina Village in Mission Bay, the Boston Whaler tender to Empress now is protected by an alarm that will sound a loud siren if a cable beteween the tender and Empress is cut.  In the photo above, the loop of white coax cable in the lower right-hand corner is the alarm cable.  The yellow power cable provides 120-Volt AC to the battery charger.

Stolen Tender to Empress Recovered

About two weeks after it was stolen, the Boston Whaler tender to Empress was recovered by the Lifeguards who patrol Mission Bay.  A Lifeguard patrol boat found the tender on the beach of Sail Bay near the Catamaran Hotel at the northwest end of Mission Bay more that two nautical miles from where the tender was stolen.  Bravo Zulu to the Mission Bay Lifeguards.

Because the thieves apparently were unable to start the motor without a key and the paddles apparently were not used, the thieves must have towed the tender away using another boat.  The thieves did considerable damage to the tender including destroying the shift/throttle control apparently while attempting to start the motor without a key.  The thieves apparently were in the process of removing the motor from the transom when something or someone scared them away.  They did disconnect the fuel tank and make off with it.

The tender currently is on a rack at the Driscoll Mission Bay boat yard awaiting assessment and repair of the damage.  As yet undiscovered damage to the outboard motor, chart plotter, GPS, or depth sounder may have occurred.  The Penhunes hope that the insurance company will pay most of the cost of the needed repairs.

Tender Awaiting Repair at Driscoll Mission Bay