Gardaí in Donnybrook are searching for thieves who made off with a two-tonne sailing boat in rush-hour traffic yesterday morning.
The white Dragon day racing boat, valued at €30,000, was stolen from its parking space outside the home of its owner beside the Stillorgan dual carriageway between 7.10 a.m and 8 a.m. yesterday.
The racing boat is 30 ft long and has a 40 ft dismantled mast on board. It is so big that it would require a crane to launch it, gardaí said. It is one of only 30 similar vessels in Ireland.
The boat is white and has the name Lucky Lucky in black lettering on its side. The mast is emblazoned with the number 136 and letters IRL.
It belongs to Mr Denis Bergin, a prominent member of Dublin Bay Sailing Club. Mr Bergin is one of the State's leading sailors and has competed with Lucky Lucky at world championship and European championship level.
He told The Irish Times he was "more baffled than anything else" at the theft. "None of these boats have ever been stolen before anywhere in Europe to the best of my knowledge.
"It's all very mysterious. I keep thinking that it must be some kind of mistake. It's unsaleable and would be unsailable for most people. You'd need a specialised towing vehicle to move it and a crane to get it into the water. It is the biggest street-legal vessel on the market, if it was any bigger you'd need an escort to move it."
The boat was parked on a trailer outside Mr Bergin's home at 7.10 a.m. yesterday but when he left the house at 8 a.m. it was gone.
Sources in sailing yesterday said the vessel would be "virtually impossible to sell" in this State.
"The only thing I can think of is that somebody could be holding it for ransom," one said.
Another sailor who spoke to The Irish Times said if the boat was offered for sale to somebody in the sailing community, they would recognise it immediately.
"It's very distinctive, very slick. There are all kinds of serial numbers and the like on vessels of this kind," he said.
Donnybrook gardaí can be contacted on (01) 666 9200.