Coast guard hovercraft damaged in collision with sailboat off B.C. coast
A Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft sustained damage after colliding with a sailboat near Salt Spring Island on Monday evening.
The hovercraft CCGS Siyay was transporting advanced life-support paramedics to Ganges Harbour to medevac a patient to Vancouver around 5:45 p.m.
Coast guard officials say the craft was travelling at eight knots – approximately 15 km/h – in the harbour when an unlit sailboat that was anchored outside the common anchorage area suddenly appeared in front of the vessel.
"The captain of the Siyay was able to perform an emergency maneuver and avoid direct contact with the sailboat," coast guard spokesperson Kiri Westnedge said in a statement Tuesday.
"However, there was contact on the starboard side of the hovercraft and the bowsprit of the sailboat (a spar that extends from a sailboat’s bow)," she added.
Westnedge says the sailboat was not detected on the hovercraft's radar.
No one was aboard the sailboat when the vessels collided. The paramedics and the seven-person hovercraft crew were uninjured in the crash, according to the coast guard.
The rescuers were able to complete the medevac to Vancouver.
"We are assessing the damage to the hovercraft," Westnedge said. "The lifeboat station remains ready to respond to search and rescue incidents. We are also attempting to locate the owner of the sailboat."
The coast guard says it regularly provides medevac services, including via hovercraft, "in situations where access to a location is over challenging terrain, or it is faster or easier to respond via water."
The Siyay, measuring 28.5 metres long and 12 metres wide, is one of four hovercrafts operated by the Canadian Coast Guard. It is capable of travelling up to 50 knots – or 93 km/h – over water, and can also travel over ice and land.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.