By Colin Thompson

Sailing Correspondent

Police have launched an investigation into the theft of a youth development sail boat from the West End Sail Boat Club on Watford Island in Somerset.

The seven-foot long Optimist Dinghy was removed from the club’s premises, located next to the lodging where team members of America’s Cup challenger Artemis Racing are presently staying, last Thursday night.

“We discovered that the boat was missing on Friday and reported it to the police,” Jamie Harvey, the West End Sail Boat youth sailing co-ordinator, told The Royal Gazette. “This is really sad because someone has taken a youth training boat that is depriving some kid of learning how to sail.”

The stolen dinghy, designed for kids aged 7-12, had been loaned to the West End Sail Boat Club to be used by Sandys Middle School students enrolled in the Bermuda Schools WaterWise programme in the west end.

“It was one of the boats that we had borrowed from the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club so it was embarrassing explaining to them that we lost one of their boats,” added Mr Harvey, who is a veteran dinghy sailor. “We are very grateful that they helped us out, but it is very embarrassing not to be able to return everything in the order that we received it.”

Emily Deshields, the West End Sail Boat Club commodore, added: “This is really sad and what makes it so annoying is that these boats are for the children and somebody would walk off with one.

“The WaterWise programme just started at the club last week and because they did not finish kitting us out in time we borrowed boats from the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and to take them back one short is pretty disheartening. Jamie is not impressed and neither am I.

“The matter has been reported to the police and they are going to look at the surveillance cameras to see if they spotted someone driving off with the boat. This is really sad.”

Mr Harvey said his club has offered to give the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club one of their own Optimist dinghies, that cost more than $3,000, in place of the borrowed one that was stolen.

“We are still hoping to get it back,” he added. “But the West End Sail Boat Club has offered the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club a replacement boat, which will be one of the boats that we were planning on using for our junior programme that were are launching this month.”

Waterwise is a school-based programme that has integrated science, technology, engineering and maths to help youngsters in their intellectual, emotional, social and physical growth.

The school’s entire academic curriculum is woven seamlessly into the ten Waterwise teaching segments that includes learning the discipline of the sea, while sailing in the single-handed Optimist dinghy.

The Waterwise programme was introduced to the Island by world-renowned Olympic sailing coach Gus Miller in 2000, but has been significantly scaled back in recent years due to lack of funding.

The programme was relaunched this year and earlier this month received a major financial boost after receiving a $20,000 grant from local company Bermuda Security Group and a further $15,000 from the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation.