For 23-year-old Adam McGregor, moving onto a boat in Brentwood Bay felt like finally finding home.
However, his dreams of tranquil seaside living were shattered when he fell victim to an online scam and was wrongly accused of theft.
McGregor, who has Asperger's syndrome and is originally from northern Ontario, has been on the move since he was 11 years old.
"This has been a struggle getting to where I am now," he said.
After a difficult childhood marked by physical abuse from his father and emotional abuse from his mother and family, McGregor spent time in foster care and struggled to find stability.
In an attempt to finally find some peace and begin a new life, he moved onto a 50-foot Bluenose gaff rig schooner, a rent-to-own vessel, on Feb. 22. He's also found a job at a lumberyard in downtown Victoria.
To commute to his full-time job, McGregor relied on a loaned dinghy to row to the federal dock and catch a bus. It takes him at least a half hour or so each way, depending on the weather to reach the dock, where he races to catch the 7:40 a.m. bus on Brentwood Bay and Marchant Road to get to his workplace.
His girlfriend, wanting to ease his commute, surprised him with a motor dinghy purchased for $550 through Used Victoria on Feb. 28.
"I was on my way home when I got a call from my girlfriend saying, "Hey, we got a dinghy with a motor for you," he says. "She didn't have to do that, but I was happy I didn't have to row and rush to work every morning."
Based on the online ad, they were instructed to pick up the boat – a grey and blue dinghy with a Mercury engine on the docking area. McGregor found the craft, untied it and took it back to his Bluenose. He slept feeling ecstatic that evening.
McGregor's elation turned to dismay the next morning.
While en route to work, he claimed he was confronted by a boater, a member of the Brentwood Bay marine community, who accused him of stealing the dinghy.
"I had my music blasting, cheering along, thankful for the dinghy and then all of sudden, a big boat came chasing after me, telling me to pull over and that the dinghy is not mine. I was like, what are you talking about – my girlfriend just paid for this.”
McGregor pulled into a nearby private dock where he was allegedly met with further accusations.
"He was screaming his head off from his boat calling me a pirate, a thief," McGregor recounted. "He had me really shaken up that morning and I had a bus to catch."
The 23-year-old apologized while explaining he didn't steal it. He was in shock, memories of his childhood trauma came flooding back.
The situation escalated when the encounter was posted on a Brentwood Bay Facebook community group, resulting in a barrage of online abuse, including threats of violence and damage to his boat.
"I read comments saying I'm a thief...break his legs, slash his boat and sink it."
Feeling unsafe, McGregor sought temporary refuge at his sister's place.
"The threats had me scared to come back to Brentwood Bay," he said.
It soon became clear to him, they were scammed.
His girlfriend had paid for the dinghy via PayPal, but without an email receipt or direct communication with the seller, they were left with no recourse.
"I don't exactly know who the dinghy was bought from because none of the communication was done through me, but we have a copy of the PayPal transaction."
He said this was one big lesson he's learned the hard way.
"I don't really want to be traumatized, but after that, I've been scared of other boats coming down at me every day."
While the member of the Brentwood Bay marine community who initially confronted McGregor declined to comment and the Central Saanich Police did not release a statement, McGregor took to the community page to explain his situation and apologize for the misunderstanding.
"I'm just a hard-working dude trying to get my life going on the sea and live in peace and quiet," he wrote. "I am truly sorry about the mistake with the dinghy... in the end, it was just me and my girlfriend getting scammed for $550 – that was our lesson for not being more careful with buying used."
Despite the ordeal, McGregor remains determined to make his live-aboard life work. In a few months, the Bluenose would be his. He plans to buy a generator, do some repair work, settle into his new home and most importantly, replace the “stolen” dinghy.
