A houseboat that was being towed through Porlier Pass near Galiano Island sank after running up against a strong current.
Station 8 Delta of the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR) volunteer marine rescue service said in a Facebook post that the incident took place in the early evening of September 20 .
At approximately 5 p.m. the RCMSAR team came across a vessel struggling to tow a houseboat through Porlier Pass.
The houseboat lost bottom flotation fighting against a strong current and started sinking, pulling the towing vessel with it.
The vessel then lost steering and wasn’t able to continue the tow.
RCMSAR 8 says that they provided assistance to the vessel in coordination with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC).
The rescue team recommended the captain of the towing vessel steer with their engines towards Dionisio point, and to drop anchor.
Coast Guard responders and RMCSAR 8 then returned to the house boat to assess the damage and report back to JRCC.
Kiri Westnedge, Communications Advisor for the Canadian Coast Guard, says they checked the scene for signs of pollution and leaking fuels.
“When there’s a threat of hydrocarbon pollution, Coast Guard is involved,” said Westnedge in an interview with Victoria Buzz. “There is no threat of those hydrocarbons right now.”
She says the recovery operation of the house boat has been referred to Transport Canada.
