Tide turns for Edmonton-area canoe and kayak club in theft of boats
Thandiwe Konguavi | CBC News | Posted: July 23, 2019 10:52 PM | Last Updated: July 23, 2019
'Everybody was really happy to see that we recovered so many of them'
An Edmonton-area club is celebrating the return of nearly half its stolen boats, just in time for the competitive canoe- and kayak-racing season.
The Greater Edmonton Racing Canoe and Kayak Club pleaded for help in October after a trailer holding its 28 boats was stolen.
The sprint boats, valued at about $50,000, are used for competition training for the young athletes looking to compete in the nationals this year.
"They were quite downtrodden when it happened in the first place," president Rick Hill said. "Very upset. So everybody was really happy to see that we recovered so many of them."
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Last month, several calls to police reported a number of kayaks in a ditch near Thorsby, about 70 kilometres southwest of Edmonton area, said RCMP Cpl. Laurel Scott.
Twelve boats were recovered and returned to the club, based in Sturgeon County north of Edmonton.
"We're very happy with the outcome of this, to be able to return what was located to the club," Scott said.
While the sprint boats were badly damaged, they were the most valuable craft in the club's fleet, said head coach Zak Mahmoudi.
"We recovered most of those boats and that's why we're really happy," said Mahmoudi. "[The kids] got their boats back and they're very happy. They're very excited to get on the water with them."
The return of the boats comes ahead of the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games, taking place in Swift Current, Sask., from Aug. 9 to 18.
Seven athletes from the club are competing in the games.
Insurance and fundraising are helping the club buy used boats, but the club still hopes to recover the trailer and the other missing boats.