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Passengers cast roses on the water in remembrance of B.C. Ferries tragedy
Prince Rupert (21 April 2006) - A ceremony of remembrance was held early Thursday to mark the sinking of the passenger ferry Queen of the North in waters off the British Columbia coast.
The Queen of Prince Rupert, which replaced the doomed vessel, paused during its first voyage at the point where the sinking occurred.
On March 22, the 125-metre Queen of the North, with 101 people aboard, struck rocks off Gil Island, 135 kilometres south of Prince Rupert, and sank in less than an hour in 400 metres of water. Two people are still missing.
Gerald Foisy and Shirley Rosette of 100 Mile House are presumed dead. In a somber ceremony, roses were cast by passengers onto the waters to remember the couple and the tragedy that took their lives. Ninety-nine of the roses were white. Two were red.
A former Queen of the North crew member then sang a song commemorating the loss of the ship and the two passengers.
Meanwhile, Premier Gordon Campbell and B.C. Ferries president David Hahn flew to nearby Hartley Bay on Thursday to thank residents of the tiny community for their help in rescuing the survivors. NUPGE