An overturned boat was found in Howe Sound on the morning of June 16, prompting a search operation for fear that someone could have been in the vessel.
No missing people were reported and it was later asserted that the boat had been stolen after the owner was located.
Once the report had made it to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Victoria, Saturday morning, assets were activated to search the water.
According to Coast Guard spokesperson Dan Bate, as many as 30 people could have been tasked to carry out the search.
He said three auxiliary units, a hovercraft and two air assets from the Canadian Forces were needed to explore Howe Sound.
“That’s the game of the search and rescue business. If there’s ever a situation where they’re unsure, they will task vessels to respond regardless,” said Bate.
That morning a private fishing boat vessel had found the overturned boat, estimated to be about four meters in length.
The crew made the determination that the boat might have been recently occupied and subsequently called it in, activating a “pretty big search.
“You know that’s just part of the business. The positive thing and, I think, the focus is, ‘better safe than sorry.’ That’s kind of the message that’s said there,” he said.
