Canadians safe after grounding in the Galapagos
by Sail-World Round-up on 21 Mar 2010
Galapagos grounding - Canadians safe SW
Sixteen Canadians and eight Ecuadorean crew members were rescued from a yacht that ran aground in the Galapagos Islands, officials said Thursday.
No injuries were reported in the Wednesday evening rescue by navy and national park vessels, which the 140-foot (46-metre) yacht's operator described as 'safe and orderly.'
All were taken to nearby Santa Cruz island.
A spokesman for the operator said the mishap may have been the fault of the yacht Alta's captain, but that was not yet sure.
He also said none of the 3,500 gallons of fuel aboard the yacht had spilled and that an attempt would be made to free it Thursday afternoon from choppy waters adjacent the small island of Camano.
'We are completely aware that we need to be ready to combat any type of contamination there might be, although at the moment there has been none,' he told The Associated Press.
A spokeswoman from Canada's Foreign Affairs Department, Dana Cryderman, confirmed from Ottawa that all the Canadians were safe and said the country's embassy in Ecuador was providing assistance.
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