One man is safe after his 11-metre sailboat capsized and quickly sunk 12 kilometres north of Entrance Island just before 1 a.m. Friday.
Nanaimo Marine Rescue dispatched two boats to the area but the man, equipped with a dry suit and hand-held radio, had already been retrieved from the water by a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft. He was treated at hospital in Vancouver and released.
The boat had sunk by the time rescuers arrived, said Steve Jackson, Nanaimo Marine Rescue Society spokesman.
“He was the only person on board and fortunately he was well prepared,” said Jackson.
What caused the boat to sink is uncertain.