The earliest a recently sunk pleasure boat will be removed from Squamish waters is Friday, a representative for the Coast Guard told The Chief on Wednesday.
The Seamee II, a 25-foot wooden yacht built in 1959, started to take on water in the Cattermole Slough and sunk March 3, according to local boater John Buchanan.
When it sunk, the boat was leaking fuel that Buchanan tried to soak up with his own supplies, he said.
Buchanan called Coast Guard and RCMP on March 4, but neither organization could send an investigative team immediately.
Environmental Response crews conducted an on-site assessment of the sunken vessel on Tuesday, according to an email from the Coast Guard.
“A small amount of fuel has been released, however Canadian Coast Guard crews removed accessible pollutants and placed absorbent boom around the vessel to contain spread,” said Michelle Imbeau, communications advisor with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
The Coast Guard is working with District of Squamish staff and has hired a contractor to remove the vessel from the water, but given the predicted tides and water depth it won’t be removed until Friday, Imbeau added.
No waterfowl have been seen in the area of the sunken ship, according to Imbeau.
