Sailboat stolen from Kits Beach recovered in West Vancouver, owner says

A sailboat stolen off of Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver this week has been recovered, and the vessel's owner says the theft appears to have been the work of a professional.

Kaiya Sjoholm told CTV News on Saturday that she typically leaves her 28-foot San Juan sailboat anchored off the beach or in False Creek during the summer, checking on it from shore on days when she doesn't go aboard.

When she went to check on it Tuesday, it was nowhere to be found.

"I was a little shocked," Sjoholm said. "I kind of checked the area to make sure the anchor hadn't dragged and it wasn't just around the corner."

She said she knows boats anchored off Vancouver sometimes get broken into, and that it was possible that this could happen to her, but it was still upsetting.

Sjoholm posted about the missing vessel – named Daru – in some local Facebook groups for boating enthusiasts. She also reported the theft to police and contacted a non-profit called Stolen Boats Canada to help get the word out.

To her relief, shortly after the Stolen Boats Canada post about the boat went up, she got a call from the Vancouver Police Department saying the Daru had been found anchored off West Vancouver.

Friday evening, Sjoholm and her boyfriend went to retrieve the boat, which the VPD had told them appeared to be undamaged.

She said when they arrived, they found that the thief had broken into the boat's cabin and had left a variety of items – including gas cans and a cooler – inside.

"Our interpretation is that the person kind of ran out of fuel, anchored the boat and got off to go get more fuel and probably groceries, because their cooler that they also left on board was completely empty," Sjoholm said.

The thief's possessions have been turned over to police, and Sjoholm has brought her vessel back to Vancouver.

She didn't say where it's now anchored, for fear that someone will try to take it again. She also added that she has taken additional precautions to make the boat harder to steal and easier to track if it does get stolen.

One safety measure she said she can't take is moving the boat into a marina.

"As most people know, who have boats in Vancouver, it is extremely hard to get a slip in the city," Sjoholm said. "It's about a five to 10 year wait on most marinas. So, I'm on a bunch of wait lists for marinas, but unfortunately just kind of waiting."

While she waits, she's hoping the person who broke into her boat won't try to take it again. She said it was clear to her that the thief had stolen boats before and knew what they were doing.

"They were very specific in making sure that they didn't completely destroy anything," Sjoholm said. "They were carrying two kill switches, so basically, if they did come to a boat with an outboard motor and the (owner) had removed the kill switch, they would have the one of two potential fits for it."