A family of seven is counting its blessings after getting rescued from the cold waters off Galiano Island Monday night.
The family lived in Surrey for 18 years, but decided to make a transition and move to Kelsey Bay.
They loaded all of their belongings onto the boat and set off on their new journey Monday.
Ursula Stephens, the mother of the five children on board, says everything was fine at first and the weather was cooperating.
She got a sense something was wrong when they hit the Porlier Pass and the sea got rocky.
Before they knew it, the children’s father Scott Brown told the kids to get their life jackets on and get out of the cabin because the boat was sinking.
Ursula went looking for her three-year-old son as everything in the cabin started floating.
She managed to grab some life-jackets in the chaos, before the entire family ended up in the cold water in the darkness, clinging to whatever they could find.
The adults helped the two youngest children to the top of the only part of the boat that was still afloat.
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The family was in the water for less than an hour, but Negaysha says it felt like forever.
Luckily, the family held on to a handheld radio and managed to call the Coast Guard.
They told them it would take at least 20 minutes to reach the family, at which point Ursula says she went into survivor’s mode.
“I was counting the waves because they were small, about two-feet chop, and every third of fourth wave they would be five-feet,” she says. “I told the kids to count the waves and not to scream or panic, just pray louder and harder every time that big wave comes.”
WATCH: Family rescued from a sinking boat
A hovercraft, two BC Ferries, the Canadian Coast Guard and auxiliary vessels all responded to their call for help.
The first to get there was hovercraft from Sea Island in Richmond and all seven were pulled to safety.
“When we saw the Coast Guard, we all jumped. It was like the water just warmed right up,” says Ursula.
No one was seriously hurt, but they suffered from mild to moderate hypothermia.
Now, the family has to start from scratch.
“The boat was all we had. We got rid of our home and we were just about to move,” says Negaysha. “Absolutely everything we had was on that boat, including memories and family pictures.”
But they are just thankful everyone is ok.
“A lot of prayers have been sent out from our family and our friends, and I thank them for that, because it has given us strength,” says Ursula. “Everything is gone, but it does not matter because we are all alive, we are all still here and that is what counts.”
It is still not clear what caused the boat to sink. The semi-submerged vessel was recovered and towed to a safe harbour.
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