The former Bermuda pilot boat St David is now in Mexico after being sold by the Government for $60,000.The St David was in service in Bermuda for 24 years before Government replaced it in February with a new vessel, also christened St David.Government said in 2010 that the older vessel had already exceeded its intended service period of 18 years, and was no longer suitable for current and future quick response search and rescue operations.A Government spokesman said yesterday that since its retirement locally, the older St David has been sold on the international open market.“The purchase was completed in June to a Mexican buyer for $60,000 on behalf of a private pilot service in that country,” the spokesman said.“She was shipped by the new owner from Bermuda to the United States on August 7 and, after some refurbishment work in Florida, she apparently sailed under her own power for Mexico on September 20.”Asked why the sale was not advertised in Bermuda, the spokesman said: “There’s no reason to believe that a viable second hand market exists for a pilot/rescue vessel in Bermuda and the fastest best sale was always to be found by selling it on the open market internationally.“It should also be considered that any sale into the local market would have required the local buyer to pay customs duty on top of the asking price and that a local buyer could have certainly made their interest known to the ship broker at any time presuming that they were looking for a vessel to fill a niche role in Bermuda.”