A high-end boat, which went missing from Wicklow Rowing Club’s compound last weekend, was found completely destroyed, washed-up on rocks some 160km away from Wicklow Harbour near Holyhead in Wales.

Members of the club had noticed the distinctive blue-decked and white-hulled Kanghua quad was missing from the compound located along the seafront in Wicklow town when they were due to carry out some training at 7am on Sunday, August 30.

Club members didn’t know if the quad had been stolen, or whether someone had pushed the boat out to sea.

An appeal launched by the club over social media was shared more than 80,000 times as part of efforts to find the vessel, with fellow clubs, maritime authorities and members of the public all involved.

On Tuesday, as the appeal gained traction, the quad was spotted by a pilot from RAF Valley, which is based on the island of Anglesey, Wales, who alerted Holyhead Coastguard to the find.

Chair of Wicklow Rowing Club Robert Dunne said hopes were high initially, that the boat was intact and could be returned.

“When we first heard the quad had been found, we believed it had been found on a sandy beach, but when the coastguard got closer it turned out the boat was actually on an outcrop of rocks around 50 metres from the shore,” he said.

“Unfortunately the boat was broken up on the rocks and only the stern was visible. The rest of the boat was lost to the sea, which is incredibly disappointing.

“A couple of boat removers had offered to transport the boat back home to us, which was very much appreciated, but there isn’t any point given how badly damaged the boat is,” Robert added.

“The only thing retrievable from the boat were its four life jackets, and we have asked that they should be donated to a local water sports organisation in Holyhead.”

The club boat the boat several years ago for around €12,000, but today a replacement would cost €18,000. The boat was insured for the original value, so now the club will need to find €6,000 to buy a replacement.

The club intend to establish a GoFundMe campaign for a replacement boat. In the meantime they will borrow a boat from other clubs.

Members of the club went through local CCTV footage in a bid determine how the boat ended up at sea, but believe it was someone up to “high-jinks” rather than a malicious attack on the club.

While obviously disappointed at the outcome, Robert and fellow Wicklow Rowing Club members take solace in the great support they received as part of their campaign.

“It was sad to see the images of the boat all broken up and washed up on the rocks, but we have to thank everyone who rallied around us,” he said.

“We got great support from clubs throughout the country. The rowing community is a tight-knit little group where everyone gets to know one another through the different events held each year. We can’t thank everyone enough.”