On April 13^th at 3:30 am, at the Oak Bay Marina, a 54-foot yacht was stolen by a thief who had paddled into the marina on a canoe. Unfortunately for him, our boat security startup (BRNKL) has a floating office merely 20 metres away. We had partnered with the Oak Bay Marina to set up a BRNKL WeatherCam, a high-definition camera that streams video to YouTube, to provide a panoramic view of the marina. It captured the whole ordeal. Including when the thief crashed into the dock while piloting the yacht out.

The vessel broke down very shortly into its journey where the police later boarded the vessel and took the offender into custody. If this wasn’t frustrating enough, the suspect claimed that he had COVID-19, so he was immediately taken to the hospital. He has since tested negative for COVID-19 and has been released into police custody and faces several charges.

We turned over the footage we had to the authorities, who were thankful that our camera was there. The WeatherCam was installed back in 2019 when we opened our floating office in the Oak Bay Marina. We had heard from many marina clients that they wanted a way to check on the weather conditions at the marina while at home, after conducting some market research we realized that a live streaming camera and weather station could provide tremendous value. With a field of view of 190 degrees and a 24/7 live stream, the WeatherCam was originally intended to be a marketing tool that the marina could offer its clients. However, it’s turned out to provide much more value. In addition to this theft, it also captured the beginning of a boat fire earlier this year.

While we were able to capture the theft on camera, the best solutions prevent thefts from happening in the first place. A BRNKL boat security and monitoring system along with door sensors and a siren could’ve scared off the thief and prevented him from taking and damaging the vessel in the first place. This is especially helpful in times like these, where there are fewer people than usual out in public and at marinas. Learn more about how BRNKL can help here, and in the meantime, stay safe and vigilant.