Rice University crew team boat vandalized

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Rice University's crew team discovered their boat was vandalized over the Christmas holiday, according to the team's Twitter account.

An update showed how vandals tagged their boat:

On Twitter, other rowing teams expressed their sympathy and the boat company Vespoli reached out to offer their help.

According to Rice University coach Mike Matson, the team found the vandalism at their boathouse the day after Christmas. Matson says the vandalism happened between noon on Christmas Eve and 9am yesterday.

The coach tells Eyewitness News the team is getting quotes for the professional paint repairs, which could cost around $1,000 to $1,500.

This is fourth incident the team has experienced since the team's equipment has been stored in the East End. Three incidents involved graffiti and in another someone cut the storage facility's lock.

Matson says there is no timetable for the repairs.