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Boaters rescued by Squamish's Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue

Two people stranded at Darrell Bay in Thursday night's windstorm
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Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue, Station 4 Squamish members.

It was a harrowing evening Thursday for two local boaters and our Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue, Station-4 members.

Winds were high much of the day Thursday, funnelling up Howe Sound and gusting 60 knots, or 111km/h, at the Squamish Spit at 1 p.m., according to Environment Canada personnel.

Squamish marine rescue volunteers headed out onto the waters of the Howe Sound in the windy conditions Thursday evening in search of people in need of help on the water, according to Shane Hayes, the rescue organization's Station-4 unit leader.

They soon came across a couple of boaters in need of that help.

The two people were trapped on the pontoons of the Darrell Bay ferry terminal with a swamped dinghy, "having made an attempt to escape a failing sailing vessel on the rocks of the bay," Hayes said.

 The rescuers were able to pluck the boaters from the pontoons and place them and their small dinghy safely at the dock at roughly 5:45 p.m.

Everyone is fine, Hayes added.

The marine unit members returned to Darrell Bay at roughly 8 p.m. to ensure the area was safe and there were no further concerns.

 "The persons in question were still on site, dry and thankful for the efforts of our crew," Hayes said.

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