VANCOUVER -- A captain of a vessel that crashed into a rocky area of the B.C. coastline appeared to be intoxicated, Mounties in Richmond say.
The incident occurred last week, the Metro Vancouver RCMP detachment said in a news release Tuesday.
Members of the Richmond RCMP were called to the Steveston Harbour area for reports of "a vessel operating erratically" the afternoon of May 17.
When officers arrived in the area, they found a 55-foot commercial fishing vessel had run aground in a rocky area not far from Garry Point Park.
Police approached from the water, and rescued two men who were uninjured.
"Evidence at the scene indicated that both alcohol and drugs appear to have been factors in this incident," the RCMP said in a statement.
The boat's operator was detained, and the vessel was recovered when the tide came in.
The operator, who has not been identified other than that he is a 48-year-old man from Surrey, has been released from custody, but is facing charges.
Those charges include operating a vessel while impaired, an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada.
Police used the opportunity to remind the public that it is illegal to operate any type of vessel – from a yacht to a jet ski – when impaired by alcohol or drugs.
