A Sandys "pirate" didn't have to walk the plank at Magistrate's Court yesterday ? but he was fined $1,000 for stealing a St. George's resident's boat and then registering it under his own name.

Ruben Mayho, 43, admitted to Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves that between May 23 and 24 of last year he stole a ten-foot grey, Stardust inflatable dinghy belonging to William Evans which he had found moored in the St. George's Harbour.

The owner of the boat reported the theft to Police in May but the vessel was not recovered.

However, in November, 2003 Mr. Evans was aboard another vessel in Hamilton Harbour when he spotted his stolen dinghy in the waters off the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club and alerted Police.

On November 26, Mayho was arrested in connection with the crime, and admitted that he had taken the boat on the evening of May 24 in order to avoid driving home drunk from St. George's.

He subsequently beached the boat at Mangrove Bay, where he left it until October last year.

He said he was surprised the boat's owner had not looked for the dinghy in the six months since the theft.

Mayho said he then removed its original serial numbers and had the boat reregistered under his own name.

"I'm sorry," Mayho said to Mr. Greaves. "It was a stupid, stupid idea. There's no better excuse for that but pure stupidity."

Mayho told the court he has a drinking problem and had been suffering from considerable anguish due to his separation from his wife and children at the time of the crime.

"You're a pirate, man," Mr. Greaves responded. "In the old days, we would have made you walk the plank."

Luckily for Mayho, Mr. Greaves handed him a $1,000 fine which he had to pay yesterday along with $300 in overdue fines.