Coast Guard are attending to the sinking vessel. Photo by Wayne Jacob

Fishing boat taking on water in Johnstone Strait

Single occupant of vessel near Humpback Bay and Bear Point has been transferred to another boat

  • Jul. 15, 2021 12:00 a.m.

Canadian Coast Guard have been dispatched from Kelsey Bay near Sayward to aid a sinking fishing vessel in the Johnstone Strait on Thursday morning.

The call came in at 11:36 a.m. for a boat taking on water near Humpback Bay and Bear Point.

READ MORE: Rescue attempt costs man his boat off Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

At around 11:40, a dispatcher said the vessel is going down.

Captain Chelsea Dubeau with Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said there was one person on board the boat who has since been transferred to another vessel.

“It’s a pretty busy area, so there were multiple vessels of opportunity that were able to help out,” she said during a 12:15 p.m. call with the Mirror.

“It looks like they are still trying to keep the boat afloat,” she added.

A boat from the nearby marina/ resort Blind Channel Resort was first upon the scene according to a social media post.

The resort noted because of its location on Blind Channel, its operorators often find themselves the closest resource for distress calls in the lower Johnstone Strait area.

According to the post, its boat was able to come to the aid of the sinking vessel and helped pump it out it before the Coast Guard arrived.


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