A Los Angeles area Sea Scouts troop, which had its sailboat stolen in March, is back on the water after receiving a replacement yacht from the family of late Hollywood actor Donald Sutherland.
The boat was stolen from a dock in Marina del Rey sometime between March 17 and March 21, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. The Boy Scouts of America’s co-ed nautical program told KTLA that the 1979 Islander sailboat named “Island Hopper” was taken from its slip and replaced with a boat in worse condition.
To make matters stranger, someone had removed Island Hopper’s DMV-assigned vessel number and attached it to the run-down ship found at the end of the dock. Authorities suspect that a boat thief attempted to surreptitiously trade the boat for one in better condition.
Although the real Island Hopper remains missing, the Sutherland family recently stepped up and gifted the organization an even larger sailboat. Sea Scout troop leader Trevor Martin told KTLA that the replacement is “much better” than the original…