From Lyme Bay to eBay....

[MadPict]

So the news that 'beachcombers' have made off with up to 50 BMW motorbikes, amongst other things, from the flotsam and jetsam ejected by the MSC Napoli, makes one wonder if the old tradition of salvaging, ala Whisky Galore, is just opportunism or daylight (and moonlight) robbery?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6287457.stm

At least they didn't draw the ship onto the rocks themselves.....

[Sapphire2803]

What makes me wonder is that you never hear about the countless containers that are lost at sea from overloaded ships each year. They're only worried when somebody might gain from it.

I had to laugh today when an 'expert' who was warning people to stay clear of the beach because of the potentially harmful chemicals was asked by a radio interviewer what the chemicals were. "Um... perfume and hair dye" she replied. I thought she was supposed to warning people away, not giving them reason to rush down there.

I wouldn't like to say that raiding the beach is the right thing to do, but I couldn't really blame anyone for doing just that. Personally I wouldn't, but that's just me. Now if it happened in summer and the beach was warm.....

[MadPict]

Guess they sink without trace.

I had to laugh at one middle aged guy, who had found a pair of trainers, which he thought "might fit" him. They were tied together by the laces and slung over his shoulder. Trouble was, they weren't a matching pair....

Now, the barrels of wine…if they were full…would be a different matter. But the reporter said they were empty, yet folk were rolling them away.

The title of the thread is from one young man who had picked up the steering wheel for a BMW M5. When asked if he had an M5 he replied "No, but I'm sure I'll find someone who has - maybe put it on eBay..."

All quite funny - and no lives lost and hopefully pollution will be minimal - just what we need to divert the public gaze away from Jade Baddy....

[johno]

aw ,whats the fuss about, good luck to them . apparently its not illegal so long as you register your find with the reciever of wrecks. just a pity it wasnt reiss beach

[North Rhins]

The guy with the BMW motorbike is having a spot of bother, apparently there’s a bit of damp in the carburettor!

[johno]

The guy with the BMW motorbike is having a spot of bother, apparently there’s a bit of damp in the carburettor!

that bike is bound to be fuel injection. carbs went out with leaded gas

[North Rhins]

that bike is bound to be fuel injection. carbs went out with leaded gas

Not strictly true, but never mind, motorbike in container bobbing about on the ocean, seawater, damp, get it?

[johno]

Not strictly true, but never mind, motorbike in container bobbing about on the ocean, seawater, damp, get it?

got it. but as far as the bikes concerned i still wish that id got it

[North Rhins]

You notice he had the Beemer on a fork lift, it’s the only way you can pick them up!

[MadPict]

They look like they are the 1200 RT - thats an OTR price of £10,895 - knock a few quid off for missing bits if you can get it running and add the missing items thats some booty....

[Kenn]

Have the good people of Devon forgotten they never had Wrecker's Rights?
Only got rescinded for The Cornish in the last 20 years and did we take any notice? Did we heck!
Never mind flotsam and jetsam have always been there for the taking and all the best to them.
Now if any one knows when there's likely to be another Whisky Galore please pm me asap.

[North Rhins]

There’s going to have to be some creative paperwork when it comes to registering them with DVLA. I wonder what they’ll put down as place of import?

[j4bberw0ck]

all the best to them.

The other side of the coin is exemplified by the Swedish couple who were transporting family goods - china, ornaments and so on - after the remaining parent of one of them had died.

They watched on tv as a horde of selfish, good-for-nothing-thieves descended on their crate, broke into it, and walked off with the lot. As they said, it's not about the money.

[Kenn]

j4bberwock I was not advocating that people deliberately break open crates and steal the contents and just hope that the selfish ones who commited this act have some sort of conscience about what they have done.
I was merely being a little tongue in cheek as regards "Wrecker's Rights," and pointing out that flotsam and jetsam have always been there for the gathering by beachcombers, sorry if I gave the wrong impression.

[j4bberw0ck]

Lizz, I wasn't sure whether you were advocating "wrecker's rights" or not, but thanks for clearing it up! I thought it was important though that the other side of the coin was shown - wasn't trying to have a go at you.

There are hundreds of mahogany and teak fenceposts and roof couples in this part of Orkney, from a wreck in the early part of the last century. To be honest, if it was a load of timber, I wouldn't have a problem with people grabbing some - it's worthless to the timber company once it's been in the sea, and gathering it all would cost more than it would be worth. In fact, if it happened again now, I'd be down the beach with my trailer.

What was a shame about the Swedish couple was that they watched as a group with boltcutters broke into their crate and started to rifle through the goods - family photographs, letters and personal belongings were just thrown onto the beach and broken, or into the water, while things having any intrinsic value were put in sacks and stolen.

As they said - couldn't the people doing it see the belongings were personal? It maybe shows how far people's standards of decency have slipped.

Thanks for clarifying!

Regards

[KILTIECAULDBUM]

The guy with the BMW motorbike is having a spot of bother, apparently there’s a bit of damp in the carburettor!

Reminded me of 2 old jokes:

Wife phones her husband & tells him not to be angry as she has flooded the engine in the car."What makes you think that darling?" he says.
"Cause the car is in the canal" she replies

Later his daughter phones saying she has a problem with her engine oil. "What's the problem" he says.
"Well I've put in nearly 10 litres and it's still not full"

P.S. No slant on women drivers intended, honest.

[mareng]

that bike is bound to be fuel injection. carbs went out with leaded gas

........ and leaded "gas" went out half way across the Atlantic.

Say it with me............... PETROL!

[mareng]

The other side of the coin is exemplified by the Swedish couple who were transporting family goods - china, ornaments and so on - after the remaining parent of one of them had died.

They watched on tv as a horde of selfish, good-for-nothing-thieves descended on their crate, broke into it, and walked off with the lot. As they said, it's not about the money.

Absolutely! There was something a bit seedy about those scavengers.

[connieb19]

The other side of the coin is exemplified by the Swedish couple who were transporting family goods - china, ornaments and so on - after the remaining parent of one of them had died.

They watched on tv as a horde of selfish, good-for-nothing-thieves descended on their crate, broke into it, and walked off with the lot. As they said, it's not about the money.

It was on the news earlier that the people who took the stuff from this crate are going to return it to it's owners.

[j4bberw0ck]

I'm glad to hear it; maybe the human race isn't beyond redemption after all, though the stuff they threw in the seawill still hurt the owners, no doubt.

How much better that they hadn't wrecked the crate in the first instance?