Stranded boaters taken to hospital after rescue off B.C. central coast

The Dryad Point Lightstation near Bella Bella, B.C. (Shutterstock)

Two people were rescued from a stricken sailboat off the British Columbia coast last week after firing distress flares that were eventually spotted by the operators of a passing cargo ship.

Both mariners were taken to hospital in stable condition, according to a B.C. Emergency Health Services spokesperson.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria was alerted to the incident on the central coast near Bella Bella shortly after 8 a.m. on Jan. 17, according to an emailed statement from Sub-Lt. Simon Gonsalves.

According to the JRCC spokesperson, the operators of a cargo ship radioed authorities about “a small vessel firing distress flares to draw attention” near McInnes Island, a small outcrop situated between the B.C. mainland and the southern tip of Haida Gwaii.

A coast guard rescue vessel was dispatched from Bella Bella, approximately 40 kilometres away, arriving on scene just after 9:30 a.m.

Coast guard members provided “initial aid” to the two people onboard before transporting them to the Bella Bella waterfront where they were handed over to paramedics, Gonsalves said.

One ambulance was dispatched to the Bella Bella government dock to take the patients to hospital, B.C. EHS spokesperson Rachelle Bown said in an email.

The JRCC referred all further questions about the incident to the RCMP, who tell CTV News they were neither called to the scene nor involved in the rescue operation.