BC Ferries crews on the Langdale-Horseshoe Bay route had to respond to a couple of incidents on the waters of Howe Sound last weekend. Neither turned out to be serious, but they did cause minor sailing delays.
On July 7, the Queen of Coquitlam was on its way into Horseshoe Bay when some passengers reported a kayaker who appeared to be in trouble.
“We launched the rescue boat to go check it out, but the person was fine,” said Deborah Marshall of BC Ferries.
The second incident involved the Queen of Surrey. The crew spotted an overturned catamaran during a morning sailing on July 9. Marshall said in that case there was no sign that anyone had been aboard the four-metre (12-foot) sailboat, which may have broken loose from its moorings.
Marshall said BC Ferries crews are trained to respond to emergencies and provide aid to boaters in distress and they have to put that training to use about 24 times during a typical year, mostly in the summer.
“In the summertime we have 500 sailings a day [across all routes], so often we can be the first vessel on scene to render assistance,” she said.
The passenger service Pacific Ferries also had a minor incident on the weekend. The company said the Coastal Runner had to be towed into Gibsons during a tour excursion on Sunday when a belt on the engine broke. The belt was quickly replaced and the passengers transferred to Pacific Ferries’ other vessel, Coastal Clipper, for the rest of their tour.
There was no impact to the company’s commuter service between Gibsons, Horseshoe Bay and Coal Harbour, which runs only on weekdays.
Pacific Ferries started offering tours of Howe Sound with a stop in Gibsons in May, and according to the Gibsons and District Chamber of Commerce, the July 8 and 9 trips brought about 200 visitors to Gibsons Landing.
