Bullpen: Stealing the same boat twice? These thieves are persistent.

A coach’s boat belonging to the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Race Team has been stolen, and found, twice within the past few weeks. The first time the boat was recovered, the motor was still intact, and some tools were left onboard.

The fact that the boat had been found clearly didn’t sit well with the thieves, as they returned to the harbor to finish what they had started.

This time, once found, the motor had been stripped and the boat had suffered extensive damage after being dragged 300 feet up a road.

These thieves, if nothing else, are persistent. They’re also bold, returning to the scene of the original crime, to steal a boat that has no real value to anyone other than the kayak team.

Having followed and written about this story over the past few weeks, I began to form a mental image of these thieves. What kind of people are they? Why did they do this? What are their future plans?

And what else did they have with them will they were committing this crime, twice?

I think I have some answers to that last question.

A cellphone with a string of unanswered text messages

These guys are persistent. This seems like a job that would be handled by more than one person. At least two people, or a group, most likely. Given the fact that they came back to the scene of the original crime to finish the job, they’re a persistent bunch. Or at least the leader is. Perhaps the others were just the following the leader’s direction begrudgingly and hesitantly. But this leader — he doesn’t give up easily.

I imagine his cellphone is loaded with text messages to an ex-girlfriend who has long since moved on. While several years have passed and she, on more than one occasion, has bluntly told her it will never happen again, he still persists. She will soon be married and start a family, but the thief will be unfazed and will continue his fruitless courtship.

A bottle of whiskey

Do we expect these thieves to commit early-morning crimes in the darkness with a clear mental state? It seems unlikely. In fact, having a bit too much may have been what inspired this idea in the first place.

Several pairs of gloves, forgotten in the glove box

According to GHCKRT, the Gig Harbor Police Department is processing fingerprints lifted from the stolen boat.

The thieves ought to have seen this coming. But like I said earlier, this is a bold group.

Someone in the group, likely the sidekick, probably had the foresight to bring gloves this time to prevent fingerprints being left on the stolen boat. The leader likely mocked this idea, tossing the gloves aside into the glove box.

A photo of GHCKRT coach Alan Anderson, poorly vandalized with Sharpie-drawn bad teeth and devil horns

The tattered photo hangs near the boat’s steering wheel. Clearly, Anderson, the founder and head coach of the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Race Team must have wronged at least one of these thieves at some point in their lives. But from where did this vendetta stem?

Perhaps one of the thieves was once a young paddler and Anderson criticized his technique.

Perhaps the thief rented a kayak from a public park one day and was overcome with jealousy as Anderson’s kayakers sprinted past him with ease.

We may never know the origin of this particular squabble. Let’s just hope it’s over.

This story was originally published August 3, 2017 at 8:18 AM with the headline "Bullpen: Stealing the same boat twice? These thieves are persistent.."