Two BC Ferries vessels were called upon on Sunday afternoon to assist with a marine rescue off the coast of Nanaimo.
Both the Queen of Oak Bay and the Queen of Cowichan were called around 4 p.m. while they were making their respective trips between Nanaimo and Horseshoe Bay.
A 21-foot pleasure craft began taking on water off the coast of Sechelt, resulting in the ship capsizing. Three people needed to be rescued by the Coast Guard on Sunday afternoon.
Both BC Ferries’ vessels responded to the call although neither one had to deploy any rescue boats.
The incident resulted in major delays for both ships.
#BCFHeadsUp as a result of an earlier marine incident, the 4:50 pm departure out of #DepartureBay on the #QueenofCowichan set sail at approx. 6:10 pm ^ml
— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) June 29, 2020
According to BC Ferries, they receive rescue calls from time to time in areas where they sail and employees are highly trained to respond to any rescue incidents that might occur.
#BCFHeadsUp As a result of the marine rescue the #QueenofOakBay is expected to arrive into #HorseshoeBay at 6:25 pm.
The 4:50 pm sailing departing Horseshoe Bay will depart at approx. 7:00 pm and the 4:50 pm sailing departing Departure Bay will depart at approx. 6:00 pm. ^sd
— BC Ferries (@BCFerries) June 29, 2020
The marine rescue was part of an eventful Sunday for the transportation company as later in the evening, mechanical failures resulted in the Coastal Renaissance being stranded just a few minutes after departing Duke Point.
Passengers onboard the Coastal Renaissance were stranded for over five hours, disembarking shortly after 2 a.m. on the morning of June 29.
Graham Cox
