Luxury floating fishing lodge breaks all but one mooring in high winds

BC Ferries’ Northern Adventure was contacted by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre at approximately 10:00 am this morning to assist in a marine rescue at a fishing lodge in Barnard Harbour on Princess Royal Island in the mid-coast.

King Pacific Lodge had lost its moorings and was holding by only one anchor in over 50 knots of wind. The Northern Adventure, which was travelling northbound from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert, was approximately 35 minutes north of the lodge when the ship received the call from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre to assist in this marine rescue. The Coast Guard vessel Gordon Reid was also tasked to attend the lodge and was approximately four hours the scene.

The Northern Adventure diverted its course and arrived at the lodge at approximately 11:00 am.

The twenty-two guests of the lodge and their luggage were transferred from the lodge via lodge boats to the Northern Adventure. Some employees of the lodge remained on site while others travelled to Hartley Bay in lodge boats. There were no injuries reported.

The Northern Adventure got underway at approximately 1:30 pm bound for Prince Rupert and is expected to arrive by 6:00 pm.

The ship is scheduled to travel from Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii tonight at 11:00 pm. This rescue is not expected to have any impact on the service to Haida Gwaii.

“I am extremely proud of the professionalism our crews demonstrated today,” said Mike Corrigan, BC Ferries’ Chief Operating Officer. “The men and women of BC Ferries are highly trained in a wide variety of safety events and it is situations such as this that certainly exhibit the value of their skills.”

BC Ferries provides approximately 500 sailings per day up and down Coastal British Columbia and a ferry can be the closest vessel to render assistance.