A faint light from a cell phone helped save two Van-couver boaters recently.
Wayne Skinner who operates Seatow, the BCAA on the water in Gibsons, got a call on Aug. 2 of two boaters in trouble.
"The couple were in Gibsons for dinner and then left to go to the fireworks in Vancouver," recalled Skinner. "They copied down the number of my boat just by chance and it was a good thing they did."
Skinner said the 22 ft. fibreglass boat they were travelling in hit a log and started taking on water.
"When I got the call, the man said they were taking on water and starting to sink in the waters off Bowen Island," Skinner said. "While I was going out there, a mayday call was done and the Coast Guard was called out. It was getting pretty dark out and I was wondering how I was ever going to find these people. I figured by the time I got close it was just going to be people in the water."
Skinner finally pinpointed the location through more cell phone communication - Cape Roger Curtis on the south end of Bowen Island.
"He said he could see Vancouver. That was good because it meant he was on the outside of the island. I started cruising over to that area," Skinner said. "I was heading along and in the distance I saw a pale blue/grey light. I started moving to that, and it was about a mile away.
"When I got closer, the guy's girlfriend was standing on the bow of the boat holding her cell phone door open and that's the light I saw. By this time the stern and engine were under water and the boyfriend was bailing water with a cooler to try to keep them afloat. He was literally two to five minutes from sinking completely."
Skinner said there was about a nine-inch hole in the bottom of the boat. He got them situated on board the Seatow, hooked up the boat and towed the couple back to Gibsons.
"By the time the Coast Guard got there we were all ready to go," said Skinner.
The couple stayed in Gibsons for the night and the next day a family member came to Gibsons with a truck and trailer to tow the boat back to Vancouver.
"I've never heard of a cell phone light being used in a rescue before," Skinner said.
