A woman's "sadness and outrage'' over the theft of a vital part of her boat's engine turned to delight yesterday when a St. David's fisherman kindly offered her an engine he was not using.

Ms Ann Smith Gordon had written to The Royal Gazette in anger after discovering the entire electrical system had been professionally removed from her 17-foot Mako moored at Foot of the Lane.

She was faced with a $3,000 bill to replace it. "What is our beautiful Island coming to?,'' she asked in the letter. But Police spokeswoman Sgt. Roseanda Jones said the kind of marine theft Ms Gordon suffered was not unusual.

Not only should bike parts be U-marked nowadays, but boats, their parts and equipment as well, warned Sgt. Jones.

Marine Police were dealing with between 80 and 90 marine thefts a year, she said. And there had been a slight increase recorded this year.

The thefts were occurring mostly in Flatts Village, Franks Bay in Southampton, and the Foot of the Lane in Hamilton.

Youngsters were the main culprits, she said. And the thefts were mostly of punts or expensive boat equipment.

Retiree Mr. Harry (Black Wolf) Fox said he was stirred into helping Ms Gordon after reading her letter.

"It was really quite sad. I've been a boatsman all my life. I come from three generations of boatsmen -- I can imagine her plight!,'' he said, adding, "That kind of theft has not reached us in St. David's yet, but I guess it's on the way.

"I've heard of boats being removed but to go in there and professionally remove their parts is really bad. I really felt for her.'' Mr. Fox, a former Paget Island ferry driver, said he had a spare engine in his yard he was not using.

Although it did not work properly, the parts Ms Gordon was in need of were fine.

"I called Marine Police to let them know (Ms Gordon's) welcome to it,'' he said.

Ms Gordon, who heads the charity PALS, said she was delighted with Mr. Fox's offer. "I was very touched,'' she said.

A lot of the parts, she said, were difficult if not impossible to obtain. Her mechanic had quoted her $3,000 to replace them so she was considering buying a new engine.

Ms Gordon said her boat had been moored at Foot of the Lane for 18 years and never targeted by thieves before.

When she went to take it out on September 23, it would not start. Thinking the battery was dead she called in a mechanic.

"He proceeded to remove the (70hp Evinrude) engine cover and was horrified,'' she said.

The mechanic said the thief, if not a mechanic himself, had carefully and systematically removed the entire electrical system and then replaced the engine cover.

She called the culprits "wicked'' in her letter and warned other boaters to secure their vessels.

THANKS! -- Ms Ann Smith Gordon hugs St. David's islander Mr. Harry (Black Wolf) Fox who offered her a spare boat engine after learning thieves had wrecked the engine of her 17-foot Mako boat moored at Foot of the Lane.