Update 9:40am: The hovercraft has been repaired and is back in service.
Coast Guard officials are downplaying concerns after a hovercraft broke down during a training exercise Friday evening near Nanaimo.
Maritime coordinator Paul Tasker says despite that hovercraft undergoing repairs today, the other vessel at Sea Island in Richmond is still available -- and in any event there's only enough staff to deploy one at a time, "No, it's rare we have them deployed at the same time. Normally there's only enough crew for one craft on at a time."
This latest issue follows intense scrutiny in relation to the coast guard following the federal government's decision to shut down the Kitsilano base.