Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Team’s stolen boat found in Tacoma

A coach’s boat belonging to the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Racing Team stolen over the weekend was recovered Tuesday afternoon in Tacoma.

The boat was found in the Hylebos Waterway, part of the Port of Tacoma’s network of waterways, according to GHCKRT head coach Alan Anderson.

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.

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

The $10,500 WinTech boat is one of two coaching boats the team owns. The missing double-hulled (catamaran) design prevents the boat 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 10 horsepower outboard motor, she said. The motor, not the boat, is likely what the thieves were after.

“No one is going to be able to make use of a boat like that,” Anderson said.

According to Anderson, the boat has been found and the motor, somewhat surprisingly, is still intact.

“Those boats are difficult to replace,” Anderson said. “They’re hard to come by.”

The Tacoma Police Department will retrieve the boat.

The catamaran is crucial to the team’s training, so Anderson will be thrilled to see its return. 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 11, 2017 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Team’s stolen boat found in Tacoma."