Sinking sailboat frozen in Saint John River

You don’t see too many boats on the water in the winter months along the Saint John River.

A sailboat just offshore from Beulah Campground in Browns Flat, N.B., was an exception for the majority of the winter months, sitting atop the ice.

That was until earlier this week when the approximately 13-metre vessel went through the ice, with only the boat's mast now clearly visible from the shore, while drone footage posted anonymously to Facebook shows the true extent of the damage with the boat’s bow just above water as of Tuesday.

“We’ve been watching it all winter pretty much,” says Adam Kennedy, who has been working on a house with a perfect view of the sailboat in the river. “We figured it would (sink) in the spring but I guess it sunk pretty early.”

“Social media and stuff, everyone has been going crazy about it on all the news channels,” says Ryan Makepiece. “Y’know, it has kind of made Browns Flat famous because everyone is talking about it.”

Some residents in the area were hoping something would be done about the boat before it went through the ice. It is unknown what will happen to the vessel once the ice thaws in the spring.

The Canadian Coast Guard told CTV News Atlantic in an email an assessment of the vessel has been done and it was determined there is no risk of pollution damage, but it may pose a threat to those travelling on the ice.

Transport Canada is the agency responsible for navigable waterways in Canada, but have yet to provide a response to CTV News Atlantic’s inquiry on the vessels status.

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