A sailboat was found aground on the Gibsons waterfront Monday morning, but Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR) Station 14 said the boat first got into trouble early Sunday afternoon, when the owner needed help after the boat broke loose from its anchorage.
Station 14 coxswain Neil Ripley told Coast Reporter that as the RCMSAR crew was mobilizing, a nearby vessel offered assistance and a tow to a mooring float.
The boat went adrift again sometime Sunday night and washed up on the beach, where two members of the Station 14 crew tied lines to the boat in an effort to keep it from becoming a hazard to other boats in the channel.
Station 14 was sent out again Monday morning when the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre received a call from a concerned citizen.
Ripley said the crew confirmed no one was aboard the vessel and that it was not leaking any fuel or posing any other immediate risk.
The Canadian Coast Guard said it has “determined the vessel is a low pollution risk to the marine environment.”
Officials with the Town of Gibsons say there’s no risk to Town infrastructure, and the owner has contacted the Town and promised to recover the boat.
There were reports Jan. 15 that the boat had once again broken loose, this time ending up wedged against the pilings of the government wharf.
