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2010-04-04 02:32:01 - Vehicle Accident - Canada EDIS CODE: VI-20100404-25574-CAN
Date & Time: 2010-04-04 02:32:01 [UTC]
Area: Canada, Province of British Columbia, Southern Strait, Damage level: Moderate (Level 2)
Not confirmed information! Description: Friday's fierce windstorm left a fleet of racing yachts bobbing helplessly in the middle of the Southern Strait, tossing six people overboard, sinking one yacht and damaging others. Fortunately, all six people tossed from the Incisor, a 30-foot custom yacht, were rescued by the Coast Guard, RCMP and a fellow racing yacht, the Radiant Heat. So turbulent were the waters that the Incisor, skippered by North Vancouver's Clint Currie, didn't even have a chance to make a mayday call, said Capt. Greg Clarke of the Victoria Joint Rescue Coordination Centre. With swells up to four metres and winds exceeding 100 kilometres per hour, even the Coast Guard hovercraft and the RCMP boat struggled to make it to the Incisor when the mayday came in from the Radiant Heat at about 2:45 p.m. The Incisor sank about seven to 10 kilometres off of Nanaimo. "It was terrible conditions out there," said Clarke. "The Coastal Renaissance from B.C. Ferries helped us block some wind, but it was terrible conditions out there with swells of up to four metres." All six sailors were rushed to Nanaimo General Hospital, with most of them believed to be suffering from hypothermia, said Clarke. However, all were in good condition by Saturday morning, said Stephen May, Vancouver Island Health Authority spokesman. The yachts were racing in the 42nd annual Southern Straits Regatta, organized by the West Vancouver Yacht Club. Sixty boats were part of the race that started off at 10:30 a.m. from West Van's Dundarave Pier. By the time the race was called off at 4 p.m., there were only seven yachts still at sea, scattered between Dundarave and Nanaimo, said Martin Wale, general manager of the West Vancouver Yacht Club. Clarke criticized organizers for not cancelling the race in the morning. "We were wondering what these guys were doing out in mid-strait, especially for a mainland-to-island crossing," he said. "I just don't know what was going on in the thoughts of those continuing to do the race despite the clear forecast of winds gusting to 50 knots at the airport."
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