Stolen lobster boat found and returned

A Grand Manan man has been charged in the theft of a lobster boat from the island on May 25. Grampa's Legacy, a 45 foot lobster boat belonging to Special K Fisheries, was taken from the North Head wharf shortly after midnight and recovered in Maine later that day.
Owner Sherman Kinghorne, who arrived to go fishing just after 4 a.m., says "I was in total shock" to find the boat was gone. At first he thought someone was playing a prank. It was calm on the water, and he heard no engines. A couple of minutes later his crew arrived; they had been to the other wharf looking for the boat.
They realized it had been stolen, and a review of surveillance video showed it departing at 12:33 a.m. The thief's identity was concealed by a hoodie. Kinghorne began calling the authorities. With a four hour lead time, he estimated the boat could have gone 40 to 45 miles, so he also began calling people he knew in mainland ports, including Dipper Harbour and Yarmouth, thinking someone might have taken it there.
The boat's recently installed automatic identification system was not on, but Kinghorne hoped Fundy Traffic might have some record. They did not. "Then I thought of the black box that we have for fishing," so he called the Department of Fisheries. The black box, which is always on, had "pinged" at midnight, but that was all. It was later determined that it had been shut off in the thief's efforts to turn on the other electronics. Kinghorne then called the Canadian Coast Guard to request a Notice to Mariners. "I didn't know what shape the person was in," he recalls, fearing they could put the boat on autopilot or fall asleep. However, he says the Coast Guard "don't have a protocol for that." He put out his own information on emergency channel 16.
Around 6:30 a.m. he received a VHF call from "someone near Cutler" reporting the boat off Petit Manan. "He was 90% sure" and wanted a better description of the boat with its distinctive tall scallop rig. Given the registration number, the caller confirmed its identity, noting its speed and direction. Kinghorne acknowledges Troy Stanwood, Skipper Pinkham and Ronnie Kennedy for staying near the boat until it was run aground in Pigeon Hill Bay in Steuben. "They took their time and fuel. They were what law was on the water until the [U.S.] Coast Guard came," he says. "They're the heroes to be congratulated for saving my boat."
U.S. Border Patrol reports, "At approximately 5:30 a.m. ... the RCMP requested assistance from U.S. law enforcement agencies to apprehend a stolen fishing vessel that was last reported heading toward the United States from Canadian waters. A short time later fishermen reported seeing the vessel in Pigeon Hill Bay. This information was confirmed by the Washington County Sheriff's Office. A U.S. Coast Guard boat crew and Border Patrol agents from the Calais station responded to the location to board the vessel. The sole occupant of the vessel... was arrested and taken into custody by Border Patrol agents. An additional search of the vessel by a Border Patrol K9 and the U.S Coast Guard found no additional subjects or contraband onboard.
Logan Anthony Kinghorne, 33, of Grand Manan was expelled from the U.S. under Title 42 USC 265, "suspension of entries and imports from designated places to prevent spread of communicable diseases." He was turned over to the RCMP in Calais and is charged with theft over $5,000. Inquiries about charges on the American side were not answered by press time. The men are related; Sherman Kinghorne declined to comment.
He says the boat was run aground at about 10 knots, hard enough to keep it upright in the soft bottom. He's thankful the tide was low enough to prevent it from reaching a rock bar a little farther in. He says the pursuing fishermen stayed nearby, blocking the exit to the area as the accused tried to get the vessel afloat.
Once the boat was spotted, his son Shawn, who was already out fishing, headed down the coast until he could get clearance to cross into U.S. waters. Kinghorne says COVID 19 "played havoc with getting the boat back," adding to the restrictions and paperwork for that clearance, and Shawn had no passport with him. Kinghorne says officials handled things well, and the boat was turned over to Shawn and his crew.
Grampa's Legacy was home by 9 p.m. the same day and hauled out at Fundy Marine Service Centre for inspection. The propeller basket was torn off, but the hull was intact; however, there was "major damage in the engine room." Kinghorne estimates $150,000 to $200,000 damage to the million dollar boat. Repairs are under way, although he says it will take months to overhaul and replace the damaged equipment.
Kinghorne stresses his appreciation for all those who helped recover the boat. "I would like to thank everybody in general for the part they played in looking for the vessel. I'm eternally grateful. If you're a fisherman, it doesn't matter who you are; we all feel the same way about our vessels; we turn out to help each other. In cases like that, a flag doesn't make a difference."