An investigation has found that tampering is what led a party boat carrying 150 North Vancouver students to run aground on Oct. 23.
Passengers of the Pride of Vancouver catamaran vessel were left stranded for hours after the boat ran aground.
According to student body president Cady Nelson-Quine, it took until midnight for the Sutherland Secondary School students to be fully evacuated. There were no injuries.
Vanessa Garrett with Spirit Cruises, the company operating the vessel, told CBC News that the protective cage had been removed and the the emergency engine shut-off had been activated, causing the engine to stop.
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Garrett said after the engine stopped, a strong current pushed the vessel off course, causing the starboard propeller to hit a sand bar. It then became stuck on the Maplewood mudflats near the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge.
“We do not know exactly who tampered with it, what we do know is it was someone aboard since the protective cage covering the shut-off had to be removed to pull the shut-off,” said Garrett.
She said it was not a mechanical failure, as the engine equipment was fully rebuilt in April 2026 when the vehicle went through a full refit at dry dock.
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“We are very disappointed, as we have a great deal of respect for all of our passengers and crew, and something so preventable is not something we ever thought we would have to deal with,” said Garrett.
CBC News reached out to the North Vancouver School District for this story, but was told that the boat trip wasn’t a school-organized or sanctioned event and was organized by a group of parents.
