Sunken yacht lifted to land, investigators searching for answers

A yacht that sank near the mouth of the Charlottetown Harbour was towed to the waterfront and lifted to dry ground late Thursday as investigators continued to investigate why the boat went under.

Getting the boat to land was an all-day event thatfinally ended as it was pulled to the waterfront before a crane lifted it out of the water.

Although investigators couldn't pinpoint a reason why it sank, the boat will beinvestigated further.

Just happy everyone is alright. Lisa Gale

Robert Gale has been identified as the owner of the boat. His wife, Lisa, toldCBCNews he was on the yacht with 14 of his close friends at the time. She added that everyone is fine but "just a little shook up."

She said Gale has been boating for 30 years and never drinks when he is the operator.

The yacht sinking is unfortunate, she said, but she's "just happy everyone is alright."

What happened Wednesday evening

Sailors from HMCS Queen Charlottein Charlottetown were the first to respond,as they were in the harbour conducting a training exercise when people ashore alerted sailors to the sinking 35-foot yacht,according to Lt.-Cmdr. Rob Alain, commanding officer of the naval base.

In a rigid-hull inflatable boat, seven of the sailors pulled up to the site and found six people in the ice-cold water with nine more clinging to the sinking yacht, he said.

The people had been in the water for about 20 minutes by that time, Alain said, so sailors quickly pulled them aboard and headed for shore.

'He made the right call'

"The boat coxswain made a judgment call to make sure that he got everybody on board, "Alain said. "He wasn't sure what other support was coming so he made the right call to get everybody on board and back to shore."

The boat pulled up to Peakes Quay and handed off the passengers to Island EMS and other emergency crews.

Charlottetown Deputy Fire Chief Tim Mayme said some of the people were "shaken up and cold" and one man was transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with mild hypothermia.

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