Swooping low over Middle Bight, Andros in a search helicopter, Nigel Bower's team peered down and suddenly realised they had found their stolen 40-foot powerboat.
It was hidden in the bush behind Wood Cay and such discovery has now raised questions about boat smuggling in The Bahamas.
About three weeks ago, the Performance was stolen from its dockage at Paradise Island in the middle of the night.
According to reports, someone came in, untied the line and towed it out. Mr Bower, owner/operator of Powerboat Adventures at the time, added that the Performance was securely docked under a commercial dock under the Paradise Island Bridge that is usually watched by guards on foot patrol.
But that night he added, a thunderstorm might have prevented the guard from making his rounds and provided an opportunity for the thieves to sail in and take the boat.
According to one of the workers on the overhead search, Captain Jamaine Johnson, when the helicopter team arrived in Andros, they discovered other missing boats that seemed to also be taken at the hands of thieves, who stripped such vessels of their equipment and abandoned them in the bushes to eventually end up in a state of disrepair.
"That's where all the thieves does be, the majority of them," Capt. Johnson said.
"We knew that that was a good place for anybody to hide stuff. We couldn't find it driving around, so we found it by air. First, we went all around and we didn't find it, so we started searching again. We did couple more aerial searches and we found it right in the bush several miles in Middle Bight."
Capt. Johnson explained that when the crew found the 25-seater, it was ripped to shreds.
All of the vessel's interior and equipment were pulled apart and taken by desperate thieves who are believed to be involved in a smuggling ring.
Initially, Mr Bower explained that preliminary investigations signalled that vandals targeted his 40-foot powerboat to use for drug trade or parts.
An ad running in The Guardian also indicated that a group of other vessels are also missing.
Other reports indicated that boats are constantly found in areas around Middle Bight, stripped and destroyed, raising concerns for both boat owners and police officials.
Since the tour boat went missing, Capt. Johnson said the company has lost thousands of dollars by cancelling major tours that would usually rake in $15,000 a day.
"The company lost a lot of money, but he [Mr Bower] doesn't want to release the quotes," Capt. Johnson said, regarding the company's loss and expenses.
"But everything's missing off of the boat, so to put everything back on, [will be very costly.] I don't know if he's going to repair it, but if he does, it's going to cost an arm and a leg."
Capt. Johnson added that the owners of Powerboat Adventures have now stepped up their game and will bring advanced technology onboard to keep an eye on their remaining vessels.
"We're putting GPS systems on our crafts now," he said. "We're also going to put on alarms. All of this is going to cost a lot of money, but I guess that's what we have to do."
By: IANTHIA SMITH, The Nassau Guardian
