Tugboat crew survives spill in deadly Skookumchuck Narrows
No injuries reported as nearby tug comes to the rescue
By Andy Ivens
Canwest News Service
July 18, 2009
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All four crew members aboard a tug that capsized in the dangerous waters of Skookumchuck Narrows on Sunday afternoon were saved by the crew of a nearby tug.
The tug flipped in the strong current while towing a barge, Capt. Greg Clarke of the Canadian Coast Guard told Canwest News Service.
“We understand there were no injuries initially,” said Clarke, adding B.C. Ambulance Service personnel were en route to the entrance of Sechelt Inlet at the northern tip of Sechelt Peninsula.
A boater on the scene reported the Sea Imp X arrived in time to pluck the soaked crew off the barge it had been towing.
Clarke said the Coast Guard received a mayday call around 12:50 p.m.
“Twenty minutes later, we were told the four people had been recovered,” said Clarke.
“They were initially standing on the barge. I think there were some subsequent concerns about medical assistance,” added Clarke.
He said a rescue helicopter based in Comox was set to take off when the Coast Guard received word that everyone was safe.
Ernie Catherwood, owner of the Sea Imp, was just being contacted at his Mission home by the tug’s dispatcher when reached by a reporter.
The Sea Imp “was on site, working for Fraser River Pile,” said Catherwood.
“We took some equipment up there for them, they were doing some dredging work for one of their customers right there at the beginning of the narrows.”
Catherwood adde: “There were four people aboard it and our crew picked them up.
“They are towing the barge as we speak.”
Catherwood said the Sea Imp is a new vessel. He described it as “a small ocean-going” tug, 54 feet long, powered by twin 500-horsepower Cummins engines.
Skookumchuck Narrows is one of the wildest stretches of water in the world.
Twice a day 200 billion gallons of seawater flow in and out of Sechelt Inlet at the narrows, creating an amazing spectacle.
The difference in water levels sometimes reaches nine feet, with a current reaching 32 km/h. That forms whirlpools that attract daredevil kayakers and divers from around the world.
