Fishing boat crew makes narrow escape from Mamainse capsizing

About 9 p.m. last night the Bessie-E, a fishing boat, headed out from its berth in Mamainse Harbour in fairly calm waters, says Harbour Authority Jim MacDonald.

Shortly after she left she started having troubles. 

The ice was thick, soft, slushy, and snow-covered - not easy ice to work in.

The Bessie-E, captained by Jacob Bjornaa, runs with a crew of five, including her captain.

Bjornaa is a second-generation fisherman out of that harbour.

He knows the ice and he knows what the fast-changing weather patterns can do to it.

Sometime between 9 and 10 p.m. the wind had changed direction and started coming from the north, MacDonald tells SooToday. 

A wind like that can pack up the ice in the harbour so no boats can pass. 

MacDonald advised Bjornaa to pick a spot and sit tight in the harbour, to wait out the ice. It might take a day or so but the ice wouldn't stay. The boat would soon be back to berth and the crew home and warm.

"There's been plenty of times I've sat out there over night," said MacDonald.

But the crew couldn't get the engine started and the wind was blowing the Bessie-E up toward the shore.

The crew found that the fuel lines were vapour locked and worked for about an hour to bleed the lines and start the engine while the Bessie-E rolled in the waves.

By that time the wind was strong, said MacDonald.

They finally got the engine to start but it was too late.

"Just then the stern touched bottom, kicking the boat around and plowing it up further toward shore," he said. "That's when Jake said it was time to get off that boat." 

The first crew member to jump off went out of sight and wasn't seen for several very tense moments.

As soon as the rest of the crew caught sight of him making his way to shore they followed.

Bjornaa was the last to leave the ship and just as his feet left the deck, a wave lifted the Bessie-E and hauled her out to deeper water.

"She turned over and went down right behind him," said MacDonald. "I call it a miracle that they're all alive."

That was about 10 p.m.

"Today, I was more shook up than I ever was in 47 years on the lake."

The Bessie-E now sits upside down in the water with about a foot of her hull showing above the surface, said MacDonald. 

She was one of seven fishing boats that berth in Mamainse Harbour.

Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board are enroute to investigate the incident.