The captain of a sailing vessel was rescued by the Canadian Coast Guard on Monday, July 29, after spending over four hours in the waters of Hernando Channel.
The rescue came after the Canadian Coast Guard鈥檚 Marine Communications and Traffic Services received a report on Monday at 1 p.m., of a 42-foot sailing vessel on the rocks near Cortes Bay on Cortes Island, apparently unoccupied.
An investigation confirmed that the vessel appeared to have been recently occupied but the captain was missing.
A mayday was issued by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Victoria and multiple lifeboats were tasked to search the area.
After an extensive search, the crew on CCGS Cape Palmerston located a person wearing a yellow lifejacket, floating in the water between Cortes Island and Hernando Island.
The person was severely hypothermic and was given first aid by the crew and transported to emergency health services in Lund.
"Without the yellow lifejacket, it is unlikely that responders would have been able to find the missing captain and save his life," said Kiri Westnedge, communications advisor for the Canadian Coast Guard.
"This incident is a good reminder to everyone in the boating community to have the proper safety equipment on board your vessel and most importantly, think of it like a seat belt: important to wear even if you鈥檙e just travelling a few minutes down the coast."
