MALPEQUE BAY, P.E.I. 鈥� Firefighters rescued five crew members from a mussel fishing boat that ran aground in rough seas off Prince Edward Island鈥檚 North Shore on Monday.
The RCMP said no injuries were reported following the rescue carried out with a Zodiac boat from the New London Fire Company off Malpeque Harbour.
New London firefighter Jonathan Gillis said his department received a call requesting assistance around 8:50 a.m. from the Kensington, P.E.I., fire department. Gillis said his department used its inflatable boat to get to the mussel boat, which was stranded on a sandbar and taking on water.
鈥淭hey hit a sandbar and the tide was coming in,鈥� Gillis said. 鈥淭he captain of that vessel is actually quite experienced; however, sandbars can shift. The tide caught their boat a bit as they were coming in (to the harbour).鈥�
He said a number of other fishing boats were in the area but were too large and couldn鈥檛 get close enough to the stranded boat.
鈥淭hey tried to get close, but to no avail,鈥� Gillis said, adding that the sea was so rough the grounded boat was swamped and its crew, who were wearing life jackets, had to stand on the roof of the vessel until they were picked up.
鈥淚t鈥檚 still early in the season and the waters are still very frigid,鈥� Gillis said.
The rescue boat was able to get everyone safely back to the harbour, despite also taking on some water in the rough conditions.
Gillis said the New London department felt fortunate to be involved in the rescue, after having acquired its rescue boat only recently.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been in service for about a month now,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s far as I鈥檓 aware, we are the only department on the North Shore 鈥� that even has a boat.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2024.
The Canadian Press
