RCMP officers with the ShipRider enforcement program rescued a pair of people in the Strait of Georgia earlier this week after receiving a report of a vessel in distress.
The officers were patrolling the Strait on August 17 as part of the ShipRider program, which enforces the Customs Act and Quarantine Act on marine border traffic.
Just after 10 a.m. on Monday, August 17, the officers overheard a distress call on the marine channel about a sinking vessel with two people on board.
Minutes later the RCMP vessel arrived on scene and located the ship, which was almost fully submerged.
The sinking vessel’s life raft was still attached to the boat’s transom, and two people wearing life jackets were in the water, holding onto some flotsam.
Officers recovered both individuals without further incident. They were both uninjured.
“The actions taken by the members of the Pacific ShipRider program were outstanding,” said Superintendent Bert Ferreira, Officer in charge of Border Integrity Program.
“They answered a call for help immediately and were on the scene within minutes.”
An investigation determined that the boat struck something as it was traversing through Boat Pass, and immediately began taking on water.
The captain anchored the sinking ship and attempted to use the life raft, but the ship sank too quickly and the raft’s release system was unable to function properly.
The RCMP say that the 34-foot boat sank in approximately 40 feet of water and it will be up to the owners and their insurance company to recover it in the future.
