RCMP confirm deaths of missing brothers
The RCMP have confirmed the bodies recovered by American authorities this week are those of missing kayakers Nicolas West, 26, and Daniel MacAlpine, 36, of Victoria.
“Sidney/North Saanich RCMP would like to thank all the agencies that were involved in this search and subsequent recovery efforts,” said Staff Sergeant Wayne Conley in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “Our thoughts are with the families at this time.”
The two brothers went missing while kayaking in a two-person kayak between Island View Beach and the Gulf Islands on Saturday.
The bodies were recovered off San Juan Island.
San Juan County Sheriff Eric Peter said the first body was reported about 3 p.m. Monday, and was found floating in the water against the rocks in Grandma’s Cove, on the west side of San Juan Island.
A second report about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday was of a body floating in Middle Channel, south of Cattle Point at the southernmost point of San Juan Island and west of Iceberg Point.
MacAlpine, who worked in a Victoria autobody shop, and West left D’Arcy Island in a two-person fibreglass kayak at 2:15 p.m. Saturday, according to the RCMP.
Their empty kayak was found Sunday on Henry Island, about five kilometres northeast of D’Arcy Island in American waters.
Police, search-and-rescue crews, and the Canadian Coast Guard were engaged in the search since the two were reported missing on Saturday.