Letter to the Editor: Run-in with a Serial Killer Hit Too Close to Home

Byline: Steve Moorhead

The story “Police Say Suspected Killer Tried to Hijack a San Diego Boat” (in the Feb. 15-28 issue of The Log Newspaper) should serve as a wake-up call to all of us. It proves just how vulnerable we all are, even in the seemingly well-insulated world of our own marina.

How could something like that happen — a wanted serial murderer simply showing up at a private club’s boat docks, coming aboard someone’s yacht, demanding that the boat owner turn over the yacht, tying up the owner and then taking the helm? It is probably a miracle that the boat’s prop became fouled in line and the killer ultimately was thwarted in his hijack attempt.

We, as boaters, generally feel safe and protected within the confines of our gate-enclosed boat slips. Our marinas generally have some form of on-site security. We have local harbor patrols watching the high-traffic areas of our local waterways. And some of us even have burglar alarms installed aboard our boats, just in case.

But like any good lock, all of these security measures are only designed to keep “honest” people out. A desperate serial killer will obviously take drastic steps to invade our territory and take our boats that a typical burglar would not.

We, as boaters — along with the people who provide our marina security AND our local law enforcement — must take a closer look what we are doing now to protect ourselves and our boats, and what we SHOULD be doing in the future.

Maintaining security is not just an issue for our “homeland.” It’s an important issue for each and every one of us — and our boats.

Steve Moorhead
La Jolla

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