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Boat capsizes near Lonsdale Quay

Five people - including two who couldn't swim - were plucked from Burrard Inlet Friday night by North Vancouver's Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue crew after their boat capsized about a kilometre from Lonsdale Quay.
boat
A marine search and rescue crew responds to a capsized boat off Burrard Pier.

Five people - including two who couldn't swim - were plucked from Burrard Inlet Friday night by North Vancouver's Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue crew after their boat capsized about a kilometre from Lonsdale Quay.

The five men were out on the water in a 17-foot speedboat when the boat capsized, flipping upside down and throwing all on board into the water just as dark was setting in.

Luckily the crew of North Vancouver's volunteer search and rescue Unit 2 were already in the area.

Coxswain Dan Wright said the crew noticed a white object in the water at the same time they were hailed by the nearby Seaspan Hawk.

When the rescuers arrived minutes later, the men in the water were "barely holding on" to their overturned boat, said Wright. Only two of the five were wearing lifejackets.

"The guys lucked out," he said.

All five were taken to Lions Gate Hospital for observation and treatment of minor injuries.

It isn't clear how the boat capsized. "It's not the easiest thing to do," said Wright.

The Vancouver Police Department is asking for the public's help in investigating the incident. "Police believe that there were people in the area who could provide valuable information about what led to the boat capsizing," said Const. Jamie Gibson of

the VPD Marine Unit.

The boat involved in the close call is described as a white 2008 Hourston Glascraft, powered by a 75-horsepower Yamaha outboard motor.

Anyone with information about the boat or the incident is asked to call the VPD marine unit at 604-717-9094.