The dangers of using a floating hide

[peterjclarke]

A couple of weeks ago I decided to get up early on a Sunday morning to have a go at Coots and Moorhens at sunrise at a local lochan. It was the first time I had used my floating hide 'for real'. I had a great time and leaned loads about technique. Alas there was no sunrise and just dark clouds so my shutter speeds were too slow to produce a sharp enough photograph. Feeling quite pleased with coping with the hide and my camera gear floating in about 4-5 feet of water and confident that all I need is better light to make some decent shots next time, I returned to where I had parked the car. THE CAR HAD DISSAPEARED!!!!

I phoned the police to check if it had been towed. They advised me they had nothing on their system, and suspected it had been stolen. Two weeks later I've heard nothing and it is probably never going to be seen again. The car was only worth a couple of hundred pounds and with nearly 140,000 miles on the clock it was nearing the end of it's life. So I'm not going to make a claim on the insurance and loose my 10 years no claims bonus.I was lucky there was nothing elso of any value in the car because of the space needed for the floating hide.

This happened on the outskirts of Bathgate in West Lothian and is a tale of caution, not to go about flashing your gear in public and being careful about parking you car safely. I believed mine was as it was next to a busy road even at 7am on a Sunday and I had parked there many a time with no problems. Theives a clicking onto the idea that bird and nature 'people' have expensive gear and are probably worth robbing. The car had a factory fitted imobiliser so I was under the impression the engine could not be started but it seems I was wrong.

[mh68]

Sorry to hear about that Peter. Sadly there are a lot of scumbags around these days and nothing is safe. It highlights the risks of leaving gear in the car too.

Mark H

[glsammy]

Bad luck Peter. At least you had the most valuable goods with you and not in the car at the time it was taken.
What can you do about experiences like this?
I remember last year seeing the after effects of car thieves smashing a rear window of a car to take the goods they'd watched the owners leave in their car.
I try and not leave my camera gear in the car if it's a public car park and I've had the gear in and out. You never know who is watching.
One things for certain nothing will stop me from going out.

[Maccattack]

Sorry to hear this, seems important to keep a mobile phone around ,I often forget to take one as I dont like them going off unexpectedly. Bang goes my theory that Sunday morning was a safer time to go out .

malcolm Mac

[Tormentil]

Originally Posted by Maccattack

Bang goes my theory that Sunday morning was a safer time to go out .

Scrots don't go to church, Mal. :

[John D]

Sorry to read about your recent ordeal Peter. Since I'm from West Lothian and out and about quite a bit taking photos throughout the county, I wonder if in fact I may have parked in a similar area. I sometimes do wonder about leaving the car in some locations, you just never know these days.
John D

[denisg]

Bad news. Trouble is, the culprits have nothing to worry about

John D...................can I have my dogs back please!, mine are the spitting image of yours, see DenisG Photography - Pets/7DPICT3523 (among others!)

Denis.

[naturelover]

so sorry peter what a nasty thing to happen,thank heavens you never had your gear in the car.

[big bill]

So sorry to hear about what happened Peter I used to live in West Lothian at first when I came ot of the army at Livingston back in 1980 it was a nice place but have been back since as I still have family in the area and what I have seen I do not like,where I stay now you can leave your car in isolated area`s unlocked windows open and still return hours later to see it sill there and contents intact it beggers belief nowadays some of the youth of today have no respect for peoples property and I blame it on the PC brigade for their interferance in the way parents are allowed to bring up their offspring to much interferance from them,better post and get of my soapbox blood starting to boil

[peterjclarke]

I parked at a layby next to the B7002 which runs alon gside half loaf loch (I think). A place called Inchcross. Let's just say that I won't be parking there again.

[Brocker]

The problem is they have no respect. Not for themselves, for others and for others property. The punishments are not hard enough when or if they get caught. . . . Enough of my ranting, at least you are safe and so is your gear.

[RogerTheCat]

Just a side note about imobilizers. I had a a Ford Orion with factory fitted imobilizer which because of the cars age played up one day and would notnot let me start the car. I called out the recovery man who in seconds bypassed the imobilizer using a length of wire. It took longer to open the bonnet than it did for him to peform his party piece. He even showed me what to do and left me the wire so that if it happened again I would not need to call him out. Never leave anything of value in your car

[Deer Hunter]

As someone who all too often carries a lot of gear with him -camcorder, sound equipment, plus a vast array of lens and other equipment . I've fitted a metal trunk in the back of the car - the sort you buy for putting power tools in from a builders merchant. Mine is 120x90x80cm held in the car by a large chain. It won't stop anyone taking the car although I can guarantee they won't start it, if I'm away from the car for some time on location I take an item off the engine!! As for the trunk - I hope I never loose the key it would take a long time to get into it. Nor would they be able to cut the chain its pulled inside the trunk before I lock it leaving no slack. If they did spend time trying to open it - then they would be kept company by a high pitched alarm that's audible up to half a mile. I built the alarm system myself.
A trunk like this is a good investment if you carry a lot of gear

[ron1863]

Originally Posted by Tormentil

Scrots don't go to church, Mal. :

Yes they do - they rob the collection box

[ron1863]

Originally Posted by Brocker

The problem is they have no respect. Not for themselves, for others and for others property. The punishments are not hard enough when or if they get caught. . . . Enough of my ranting, at least you are safe and so is your gear.

I agree totally. I watched "Road Wars" on TV a few weeks ago and the police chased an eighteen year old in a stolen car, who had three previous bans, no license, no insurance and smashed into several cars during the pursuit causing thousands of ponds of damage, not to mention the danger he placed members of the public in. His sentence - 8 months community service, and no fine.

A similar incident occurred in America. Sentence - 4 years jail time.

In my opinion our justice system is a joke and judges hand out lenient sentences to free up overcrowded jails. Wonder what sentence the boy would have got if he had stolen the judges car?

[rlchew]

I saw this and totally agree with Ron's comments.

You have my sympathy Peter but at least you did not lose your gear as well.

We all need to be so careful today where ever we are but even this will not guarantee that we will not be victims of crime as Peter has been.

Richard

[John D]

Originally Posted by big bill

So sorry to hear about what happened Peter I used to live in West Lothian at first when I came ot of the army at Livingston back in 1980 it was a nice place but have been back since as I still have family in the area and what I have seen I do not like,where I stay now you can leave your car in isolated area`s unlocked windows open and still return hours later to see it sill there and contents intact it beggers belief nowadays some of the youth of today have no respect for peoples property and I blame it on the PC brigade for their interferance in the way parents are allowed to bring up their offspring to much interferance from them,better post and get of my soapbox blood starting to boil

Hi Bill, The B7002 where the car was stolen is about 10 miles from Livingston. However can I say Livingston is no worse and possibly not any better than many other places. Nairn is not entirely free of crime either, as a much publicised, serious, and yet to be resolved crime which took place sometime ago indicates.
Unfortunately no place is FREE of crime these days. It is only luck in many cases if it can be avoided.
No matter where you live great care is required at all times and even then it may not be enough. Sad it may be but that is the reality of the situation in the UK and throughout the WORLD today.
John D

[big bill]

Hello John D sorry if I offended you about West Lothian all I was commenting on was the impression that I now have as to how it was when I first lived there.
As to the other case up here ask any of the locals and we all have our own views on that something that I cannot put down here.
As to crime levels yes there is crime in all areas but I still say thet thay PC Brigade have alot to answer to for the contraints that they have put on parents and successive govts.as to how you can chastise your offspring,I was in the forces and am glad I am out it got that bad that you where not allowed to shout abusively at recruits during basic training due to the PC Brigade which is over the score