More than 150 people on board a grad cruise were rescued from the waters off Metro Vancouver on Friday night after a boat ran aground, police say. North Vancouver RCMP says it was notified that a boat carrying a mix of youths and chaperones hit a sandbar in the Burrard Inlet around 8:25 p.m. In an email to CTV News, the federal government’s Department of National Defence identified the boat as a catamaran called the Pride of Vancouver and explained it was moving slowly when the incident happened near Maplewood Flats, about a kilometre east of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge. Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue said the group was from Sutherland Secondary School in North Vancouver, and they were out for a dinner and dance cruise at the when the boat ran aground. Photos from the rescue show the hull of the boat was almost completely out of the water. “This event was organized by parents as one of a number of graduation celebrations planned throughout the year,” reads a statement from RCMSAR Station 2 crew member Scott Richmond, who was dispatched on the rescue. Two Canadian Coast guard vessels and an RCMP marine unit travelled to the area near Maplewood Flats in response. “Once on scene, it was established that the stricken vessel was not taking on water and the passengers were uninjured. The water at the location of the grounding is very shallow and coupled with the ebbing tide would have made an evacuation challenging,” Richmond said. The hovercraft Siyay was dispatched due to its ability to operate in shallow water, and deck space to accommodate a large group. A photo submitted to CTV News shows the students tightly packed together on board Siyay wearing life jackets and awaiting their return home. In two batches, the grade 12 students were transported to Harbour Green dock in Coal Harbour and returned to the care of their parents by about 12:10 a.m., according to RCMSAR. Andrée-Anne Poulin with the federal government confirmed there were no results of pollution reported as a result of the vessel running aground. The Pride of Vancouver refloated with the rising tide on Saturday morning and proceeded to Coal Harbour to make berth, Poulin adds. Police say no one was injured, and there were no signs of impairment. CTV News has reached out to the company that operates the vessel for more information.
