VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A crowd gathered on the shores of Kits beach early Thursday evening to watch a rare demolition.

A 50-foot sailboat had to be destroyed because it was leaking diesel.

The leak, which was discovered Thursday morning, left a sheen on the beach and a strong odour.

Dan Bate with the Canadian Coast Guard says attempts were made to stop the leak. “But the vessel was made of cement which means that it could not be patched to control the leaking.”

A pile driving company was called in to demolish the boat, collect the pieces and haul them away.

Bate says there was only so much they could do with the spilled diesel itself.

“Diesel is a fairly non-persistent fuel, which means it’s also non-recoverable. You can see a sheen on the water that cannot be cleaned up. Essentially sunlight and wave action will dissipate the fuel and help it evaporate.”

It’s not known how much diesel ended up in the water.