BC Ferries crew rescues boater from sinking vessel

1583 768x1024

(VANCOUVER, British Columbia) — A BC Ferries crew rescued a boater whose vessel was sinking Monday evening in stormy weather near Moresby Island, CHEK News reported.

Responding to a mayday call at about 6:30 p.m., the crew of the ferry Coastal Celebration deployed a rescue boat to reach the 24-foot vessel not far from Swartz Bay. Witnesses say only the tip of the boat’s hull was still out of the water when the ferry arrived on the scene.

“It was going down and people were wondering if the Coast Guard would possibly get there in time,” said Robin Junger, who was on board the ferry. “You could see the waves were terrible, it was horrible conditions, and the BC Ferries guys saved this guy literally seconds before it sank. It was incredible, it was really incredible. It takes a lot of guts and I hope people appreciate what they did.”

A spokeswoman for BC Ferries says no one was injured in the incident. Because of the strong winds, the ferry line canceled its 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. sailings in both directions between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen.

Click here to read the story.

By Professional Mariner Staff