DARLING

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Half a million dollar damage in grounding off Pacifica

Prosecutors on Mar 6 charged one man with stealing the "Darling" from Sausalito but set his two companions free. The San Mateo County Deputy District Attorney charged Leslie Gardner, 63, of Wyoming with five felonies including grand theft, possession of a stolen boat and vandalism. But he let Dario Mira and Lisa Modawell, both of Aptos, go. Gardner met the Aptos couple three or four days ago and convinced them that he had just inherited a multimillion-dollar sailboat, called the "Darling", which was docked at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor. The couple apparently didn't know the boat was stolen. The sailboat the three were on got stuck about 5:30 a.m. on Mar 4 at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica. At first, the Coast Guard tried to rescue the trio, but they refused help. News crews came to film the scene. The owner of the "Darling" spotted his vessel on TV, and called Sausalito police to report it missing. Law enforcement agencies surrounded the beach in Pacifica, some officers with guns drawn. Finally, the three surrendered and were taken into custody. Now, only Gardner is in jail on $1.01 million bail. The boat suffered at least $500,000 in damage to its rudder, propeller and hull and was taken to Richmond for repairs. Report with videos: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/DA-Charges-One-Sailboat-Thief-Sets-Others-Free-195686571.html

Thieves stole yacht in Sausalito and ran it aground off Pacifica

The "Darling" which had grounded off Pacifica on Mar 4, 2013, was salvaged and taken to Bay Marine Boatworks in Richmond, where the damaged ruuder, propeller and keel will be surveyed. Salvage crews used a rising tide and two tugboats early Mar 5 to haul the yacht off the beach where it had got stuck 20 yards off the shorewith its keel wedged in the sand. The boat owner's insurance company paid for the salvage operation and tow to Richmond. The tree thieves were able to start the engine when boarding the ship in the Sausalito Marina as the last person to use the 82-foot boat left the keys in the cabin. Investigators were still at a loss to know how a romantically involved couple with minor criminal records teamed up with a Wyoming man to ease the boat out of the Sausalito Yacht Harbor without a scratch in the middle of the night and sailed it through the Golden Gate. The yacht made a beeline down the coast - except for a brief loop-the-loop off Daly City - before running aground just before dawn on Mar 4 off Linda Mar Beach. After several hours of staying on the craft and being tossed about in the waves, the three suspects of Wyoming and Aptos (Santa Cruz County) - gave up and were taken ashore with a jetski of the police which had guarded the ship with armed forces the hours after the grounding. When they boarded the boat, authorities found a pizza box and numerous bottles of beer. The three suspects, each being held on more than $1 million bail, weren't shedding light on the incident. Witnesses had seen the three in the harbor hours before the theft. There were signs of a forced entry into the vessel, where the keys to the engine were left unattended. After the ship was maneuvered out of its slip and into the open sea, no damage has been reported to the docks or the surrounding boats, though investigators were unsure if any of the three had sailing experience. Two of them instead have a history of public drunkenness, disorderly conduct and theft in Santa Cruz County, the third had a drug paraphernalia conviction in Santa Clara County in 2009, following a series of bench warrants after she failed to appear in court. They were expected to be arraigned in San Mateo County Superior Court on Mar 6. Reports with photos and video: http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Boat-thieves-didn-t-have-to-hunt-for-keys-4329499.php#ixzz2MklCv9O0 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/05/pacifica-stolen-boat_n_2812663.html http://www.mercurynews.com/pacifica/ci_22724869/pirates-pacifica-stolen-yacht-runs-aground-at-linda