Tiki-themed party boat sinks off Vancouver shore

Another unmoored vessel has capsized beside the Vancouver seawall – this time a tiki-themed party boat that launched just last year.

The Mirage Cruises vessel, named the Island Oasis, had been anchored in False Creek but broke loose Wednesday during a period of high winds, according to the company.

In a statement, the Canadian Coast Guard told CTV News the party boat “went aground during the ebbing tide, listed, and started to sink” late that evening. 

Mirage Cruises said the boat was evicted, along with hundreds of other vessels, from the Mosquito Creek Marina in North Vancouver earlier this year, and hasn’t had a proper home since.

“We tried everything we could think of, but were ultimately unable to secure new moorage and were left with no other option but to keep her at anchor in False Creek and dinghy back and fourth to the shore,” reads a GoFundMe set up by owner Ryan Hoy.

CTV News has reached out to Mirage Cruises for comment, but has not heard back.

The party boat began accepting charters in summer 2023, and drew attention from the shores with the vessel’s distinctive bamboo exterior, fake palm trees and tiki torches.

The fundraiser was set up to help pay for the costs of lifting the boat out of the water and doing necessary repairs, according to Hoy.

“Our insurance policy is not going cover this incident so it will be entirely out of our pocket,” he wrote. “As well, due to the salt water, we need to hire a marine electrician, cleaners and a heavy duty mechanic to flush everything in the engine room.”

A tiki-themed party boat from Mirage Cruises is seen partially submerged off the Vancouver seawall. (Credit: Reddit user _man_of_leisure)

A coast guard crew placed an oil-absorbent boom around the vessel to contain any possible pollutants, and said the owner is developing a plan to “mitigate pollution and have the vessel removed from the marine environment,” with oversight from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.