Two people in a rowboat were rescued from rough 4.5-metre-high seas and strong winds off northern Vancouver Island Monday after their pleasure boat caught fire and sank.
A joint effort by federal rescue personnel, a private pilot and crew on a fishing boat ensured the two were brought to safety.
The two on the 14-metre-long pleasure boat sent out a mayday call over the distress channel for maritime traffic at 1:30 p.m. on Monday.
But after the call went out, their location could not be pinpointed by the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Sub.-Lieut. Joshua Ehnisz said Tuesday.
At the same time, however, a floatplane pilot reported seeing smoke from a vessel on fire. Two people were spotted rowing in the area in a dinghy.
Two aircraft were sent out from 442 Squadron in Comox — a Buffalo plane and a Cormorant helicopter.
The Canadian Coast Guard vessel Gordon Reid and lifeboat Pachena Bay were also dispatched.
The Buffalo was first to arrive and dropped two sea rescue kits to the people in the small boat. A backup life raft was also dropped in case they needed it.
Waiting for the Buffalo was the floatplane, which remained in the area until official rescue personnel arrived.
It would have been difficult for the people in the rowboat to reach shore because along with the poor sea conditions, the area was rimmed with rocks, Ehnisz said.
Rescue officials were able to re-route a local fishing boat that went to the rowboat and took the two people on board. The Pachena Bay met the fishing boat and the two people were transferred to that vessel, where they were checked out and it was determined they were not injured.
Ehnisz said the rescue took about two hours. The two people were taken to Port Hardy.
