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UPPER NYACK -It's not likely buccaneers are sailing up and down the Hudson River, but police are searching for a band of thieves that pillaged the Julius Petersen Boat Yard.
Several engines and dinghies were taken from the boatyard off Broadway, Clarkstown police believe, after nightfall Aug. 11. One police theory is the thieves came either by small watercraft or crossed over into the yard near the water's edge.
The reason for that theory is that Petersen's gate is locked at night, and the dock where the property valued at several thousands of dollars was stolen is well-concealed by a large storage building, police said.
Police working the waterfront communities and the Sheriff's Department Marine Unit believe the theft is isolated. No similar thefts along the river's banks have been reported this season.
"If, in fact, there have been a lot of marinas being hit, that would sound like pirates," Clarkstown Sgt. Harry Baumann said. "I don't envision we're seeing men in black patches, with parrots on their shoulders and hooks for hands."
Petersen's general manager Gary Prunotto also doesn't believe in any tales of pirates along the Hudson.
"I think it's some kids," Prunotto said. "They mostly likely came at night. They either came in by river or had shore access. They can't drive here since the gate is locked.
"The engines were located in an isolated area," he said.
The thieves then loaded the dinghy with four engines and made their escape by water.
The thieves got away with an 8-foot hard hull, 1999 Force 4 white dinghy. Attached to the boat was a 1991 Nissan dark blue and gray outboard 5-horsepower motor.
Two Yamaha outboard motors were taken, each with an inflatable dinghy, along with a Honda 2-horsepower motor.
"This is the first time anything like this has been done," Prunotto said. "The police were here, and they were looking for fingerprints."
Robert "Rip" Hayman was concerned police departments might not be communicating with each other about boat thefts and vandalism. Hayman said many times boats are vandalized, and people call the police some of the time. The information is not always passed on to other departments.
Hayman said he wanted the public and police to be aware of what was going on along the river.
"You can lock your house but you can't lock a boat," Hayman said. "If you come in on the water, in the dark, no one is going to see you."
Hayman noted the history of pirates on the Hudson, including bands of thieves in the 1860s. They would sail up the Hudson and attack houses along the river, including Rockland County. One noted pirate was named "Sadie the Goat," who led bands of pirates from what is now Hell's Kitchen.
Hayman is president of the Klang II Association, which has a historic 1924 English Channel yawl moored off Petersen's yard. The association bought the 48-foot-long boat in 2000 and renovated the craft into a community recreation vessel.
The Klang II once ferried people across the English Channel, Hayman said. During World War II, the boat took part in the flotilla Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of 338,226 French and British soldiers from the French sea coast during the Battle of Dunkirk.
Association members used the dingy to get to the boat, Hayman said. They got a new dingy, and with Petersen's planning to close down and the security issues, Hayman said the association is looking to move the boat to another dock.
Clarkstown police are putting out fliers seeking witnesses to the Petersen thefts and if any other marinas have been hit.
Sheriff's Detective Lt. William Barbera said the department's Marine Unit has been talking with boaters and marina officials up and down the coast.
"We have one incident, as far as we know," Barbera said. "I don't think it's rampant.
"We have no indications there is a group going up and down the river," Barbera said. "One of the complainants thinks there is a big rash of this stuff going on."
The Marine Unit will share whatever information it uncovers with Clarkstown detectives, Barbera said.
Rockland's marinas have been targets of vandalism and thefts over the years from Stony Point down to Haverstraw.
In October 2006, a 32-foot Century Walk Around fishing cruiser was stolen and later found downriver. The boat was stripped clean.
The equipment was later recovered through an investigation with the New York Police Department's vessel theft unit.
An organized group had been stealing millions of dollars worth of boats and, in some cases, stripping them.
Barbera and other police officers said September and October were times when thieves might think it's safer to strike. Boat owners are using their vessels less frequently but still keeping them at docks or on the water, police said.
"The bad guys might think people don't check their boats as often," Piermont Detective Brian Hollihan said
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