A boat that caught fire in 2013 sank in Porpoise Bay last week, spilling debris into the waters off MacKenzie’s Marina – but the quick thinking of four live-aboards based near the marina stopped the wreck from wreaking much havoc.
James Roberts, who lives on board his yacht at MacKenzie’s Marina, said he noticed the 70-foot wooden boat had sunk at about 8:30 a.m. on May 5, at which point only the bow of the vessel and a portion of the wheelhouse were visible above the waterline.
“She couldn’t have been down for long at that point. I don’t know what would have happened. There’s no wind,” Roberts said, noting the abandoned vessel had stayed afloat since the fire on Aug. 1, 2013.
Roberts and three other live-aboards quickly responded – and although they couldn’t stop the boat from sinking further, they were able to collect much of the garbage that spilled from the vessel and tow a makeshift dock that was attached to it to the shore.
“[The dock’s] not very big, maybe 12 feet by 16 feet. It flipped in the sinking so it’s upside down at the moment. I just didn’t want to see it drifting around out here knocking into boats,” Roberts said. “So I got the float and just towed it over [to the shore] and tied it up.”
He and fellow live-aboards also collected plastic, bottles, cans, pieces of line, a tarp and a floating gas can that was closed tightly and didn’t appear to have leaked any gasoline before it was found.
Due to the tide at the time, Roberts said all of the debris seemed to move towards the beach, making it easier to contain and collect.
He noted the vessel didn’t appear to have leaked any oil or gas into the inlet. “There’s no slick, so I’d say she’s pretty clean,” Roberts said.
The owner, who had not been identified by Coast Reporter’s press time, was supposed to clean up the derelict vessel after the fire in 2013, but he never did.
“After it burned – well, you know, the cost of repairing it or even hauling it out of the water would have been prohibitive to the owner. So what do you do? He did the best he could to keep her afloat,” Roberts said.
“Everybody points to it and says ‘the owner is to blame. Sue the owner.’ But what good is that going to do? If he had money [the boat] wouldn’t be like that.”
Roberts noted the boat is still anchored but he fears it might break free of its moorage and cause damage to other vessels in the area. For that reason he’d like it dealt with as soon as possible – but dealing with a derelict vessel is a problem with no easy solution.
“The bottom [of the ocean] belongs to the province. The water is a federal waterway and generally speaking the two of them will sort of pass the buck to each other,” Roberts said.
“Until somebody comes up with an idea, there she stays.”
West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country MP Pam Gold-smith-Jones said she realizes the issue is complicated and it’s something she’s working on.
“I am working in two key ways, toward addressing the issue of abandoned and derelict vessels, barges and docks,” Goldsmith-Jones said in an email to Coast Reporter this week.
One way is by supporting Motion 40, which is going to be tabled in the House of Commons on June 3.
The motion is being brought forward by Liberal MP Bernadette Jordan from Nova Scotia and it proposes the federal government explore legislative options prohibiting the abandonment of vessels, asks for education on responsible vessel ownership, recommends improving vessel registration and ownership identification and calls on the federal government to assist in the removal of abandoned vessels in cases where their presence creates an economic burden on a community.
Goldsmith-Jones said that as parliamentary secretary she’s not able to introduce private motions or bills, but that she will support Jordan’s motion when it’s tabled.
“In parallel, [Transport] Minister [Marc] Garneau’s team is the lead ministry taking responsibility for improved legislation,” Goldsmith-Jones said.
“My team is pulling together the experience, research and information from throughout our riding – including Ian Winn with the SCRD [Sunshine Coast Regional District], Clare Frater and Kate Louise Stamford with the Islands Trust, councillor Alison Morse on Bowen Island, mayor Patty Heintzman in Squamish among many others – and is working closely with minister Garneau.”
In the meantime, Roberts said he’s concerned the sinking of the derelict vessel in Sechelt Inlet will reflect badly on other live-aboards in the area who treasure their way of life and do all they can to take care of the waterway they live in.
Roberts is a fourth generation live-aboard. His great-grandfather Harry Roberts, who settled Roberts Creek, started the tradition decades ago.
“We all get lumped into the same category. Almost anybody in a boat,” Roberts said, noting the live-aboards he knows are careful to keep their vessels seaworthy and not pollute the inlet.
“We care about where we live.”
