4 people rescued after pleasure craft sinks near Bowen Island

Boat sinks off Bowen Island There were tense moments as four people waited to be rescued from the water.

Four people were plucked from the water in Howe Sound after their boat sank off of Bowen Island Friday afternoon.

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said there was some kind of mechanical issue on the pleasure craft, and that it started taking on water.

The boat eventually sunk below the surface, with just the bow peaking out, leaving the two men and two women on board stranded in the water in lifejackets.

"All of a sudden it just started taking on a lot of water. So we just grabbed the lifejackets, jumped overboard," said Justin Mooney, one of the people on the boat.

Fortunately, someone on Bowen saw the boat sinking and alerted the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard dispatched a hovercraft from Sea island and rescuers from the Kitsilano base.

But before marine responders got there, a vessel of opportunity heard the mayday call and pulled the occupants from the water.

Mooney estimates he and the other boaters were rescued within 15 minutes.

"They did everything right. They had their lifejackets on. They signaled for help," said Michael Cupit with Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue.

None of the occupants were injured, and they were taken to land at Horseshoe Bay.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Ben Miljure and Sheila Scott.