Local couple's boat stolen and then returned in Sidney, BC

Kevin and Nancy O'Brien got a big surprise while boating in Canada this week.

On Aug. 17, with their boat “Millennium Crab” docked in a Sidney marina, the Orcas couple returned from dinner to find the boat missing. Kevin could hear the whine of his boat's engine in the distance, but was unable to locate it.

Authorities believed the thief was a local man known for similar exploits with stolen vehicles. An abandoned bicycle with a peach cooler nearby were discovered; they were presumed to be his.

After a restless night, the O'Briens woke the next day to find their Bayliner washed ashore in the marina. Although it was returned with barely a scratch, only the vessel's stern was tied to the dock, so the boat soon went onto the beach as the tide went out.

Kevin and Nancy resumed their three-day trip in Canada, and have dubbed the still-unknown thief “The Peach Cooler Pirate.”

Contact Islands Sounder Web site editor, Editor Colleen Armstrong at editor@islandssounder.com or (360) 376-4500.

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