Norman Wells (July 05/04) - Four Norman Wells residents were rescued by RCMP and Coast Guard officials, June 23, after their boat ran aground on the MacKenzie River north of Tulita.

A search and rescue helicopter spotted the four boaters at around 1 p.m. Wednesday, about 18 hours after they left Norman Wells.

Aside from being tired and hungry, the marooned sailors were in good condition, said RCMP Const. J.F. Leduc.

"Any time you're stranded with little potable water and little food, it can be dangerous. But luckily they weren't missing for very long," he said.

The boaters' relatives called police on Wednesday morning after the quartet was late returning from their cruise down the river, said Jack Kruger, a rescue co-ordinator with the department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Police, in conjunction with the Coast Guard, launched an aerial and nautical search, eventually finding the boat stuck on a sand bar between Norman Wells and Tulita.

"It was pretty much a textbook search," said Leduc.

"And the people were just happy to be found."