What caused a rental boat to almost collide with a cargo ship in 2022?

The Transportation Safety Board says a series of mistakes led to a rented pleasure craft nearly colliding with a large cargo ship in Vancouver’s harbour nearly two years ago.

In October 2022, the operator of the smaller boat — which was rented from Granville Island Boat Rentals — didn’t see the larger ship, the Saga Beija-Flor, coming. The pleasure craft eventually capsized, sending all three people and two dogs aboard into the water.

“The pleasure craft capsized, likely from the influence of the bow wave of the cargo vessel,” the TSB wrote in its report, released Aug. 14, 2024.

The three people were helped out of the water by other boats in the area and taken to the hospital, while the dogs were never recovered.

The TSB’s report found the rental company had told the renter to make sure to stay one kilometre offshore, so that’s what he was focused on. The boater “navigated toward the centre of the channel, crossing directly into the Saga Beija-Flor’s path,” the TSB explains, adding he was “not aware of the need to scan around the vessel and, as a result” didn’t notice the cargo ship approaching the boat from behind.

The Saga Beija-Flor, meanwhile, was contravening regulations that required the crew to station a dedicated lookout to avoid situations exactly like this.

“Additionally, the clear weather on the day of the occurrence was a factor in shaping the level of vigilance exercised by the bridge team and reduced their perceived need to maintain a continuous radar watch. As a result, the pleasure craft was not detected by the cargo vessel as it came in close proximity and capsized,” the TSB said.

Granville Island Boat Rentals only requires renters to fill out a safety checklist to use their boats. The company has since included instructions for operators to scan for surrounding vessels and give way to larger ones.