Theft on the high seas: Coach reports for practice but his boat is a no-show

A coach’s boat belonging to the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Racing Team was most likely stolen over the weekend.

A coach who tied the boat up at a dock in front of Anthony’s at Gig Harbor on Saturday afternoon found it missing Monday morning just before practice, according to Kirsten Gregory, a board member for the team.

“The likelihood of it becoming loose is very slim,” she said.

If the 16-foot-long boat had gotten loose, it wouldn’t have floated far, she said.

“We think we would have spotted it and we haven’t,” she said.

The $10,500 WinTech boat is one of two coaching boats the team owns. The missing boat’s double-hulled (catamaran) design prevents it from creating a wake which would interfere with the kayaks and canoes.

“It’s not like we can easily pick up a used one,” Gregory said.

The 2007 boat had a fairly new $2,600 9.8 horsepower Tohatsu outboard motor, she said.

The catamaran is crucial to the team’s training. The group is sending 30 athletes to Florida in August to compete in the USA Sprint Canoe and Kayak National Championships.

The team has won the event annually from 2012 to 2016.

“We’re in the height of our training season now,” Gregory said.

The team has 44 youth athletes, six masters athletes and one para-athlete. The group sends athletes to national and international competitions.

This story was originally published July 10, 2017 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Theft on the high seas: Coach reports for practice but his boat is a no-show."