VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A Virginia Beach family is asking for their stolen kayak to be returned.
The bright yellow, 14-foot kayak normally sits in the water just outside the Hick's Oceanfront apartment building. They had moved it to their garage ahead of Hurricane Dorian to make sure it wouldn't be damaged. Instead, it was stolen.
The family says they are disheartened by the theft, not because of the monetary loss, but the sentimental loss. The kayak belonged to a family member who passed away.
"It's not about buying a new kayak, it's about it being my Uncle Michael's kayak. I can't get him back, but hopefully, I can get the kayak back," explained Kathryn Hicks.
Kathryn's Uncle Michael passed away in 2017 from a rare form of Leukemia. His death came shortly after his wife, Jewel's death. The tragic double loss made 2017 very difficult for the Hicks family, but they were able to cope with their loss by going out on Michael's kayak.
"Even if we don’t have them we have this boat and we can go out on the water and be with them and spend time with them in that setting and it was really heartbreaking to see that be taken away from us," said Kathryn.
The Hicks family says the kayak is a Stellar 14-foot surf ski s14s. There is a noticeable dent in the fiberglass near the storage container. It was in it's grey cover when it was taken. The serial number is SKW4S011A515.
They are asking anyone with information about where the kayak could be to contact them through email. Nancy Hicks can be reached at nancynolte@icloud.com. Kathryn can be reached at khicks@mica.edu.
