As the summer season gets under way, many of you up and down the Sunshine Coast will be heading out on boats of all shapes and sizes, eager to enjoy the marine beauty that our beautiful region has to offer.
As you do so, take a moment to acknowledge the role of your local Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR) station, ready to assist whenever needed.
RCMSAR Station 61, located in Garden Bay, serves the greater Pender Harbour area. There are also units in Halfmoon Bay, Sechelt and Gibsons, with a total of 33 stations throughout B.C. We are all volunteers and we are all dedicated to saving lives on the water and helping to make your marine summer safer.
If you are ever in the position of needing our assistance and you see the distinctive yellow and orange boat heading your way, know that many, many hours of training and effort are behind the vessel steaming towards you.
RCMSAR volunteers undergo year-round training in boat operation, navigation (old-fashioned charts and modern GPS and plotters), radar and marine radio use, first aid, emergency response, rescue techniques, team operations and myriad other rescue-related disciplines as well as Coxswain Leadership programs provided through RCMSAR headquarters.
We are always ready. Response time is essential, and we ensure that we always have a capable team within 15 minutes of the boat at all times. When dispatched by the JRCC (Joint Rescue Coordination Centre) in Victoria, we have to drop what we are doing (or rouse ourselves from sleep) and be at the dock, ready to spend an unpredictable amount of time on the water, within 15 minutes. Each of us has a “go” bag at the ready at all times, containing clothing, energy bars, water and anything else we might need for missions that may last only minutes, or extended searches that could span hours. When tasked for a mission, we may expect any situation, from providing assistance to small pleasure vessels that have run out of fuel, locating a kayaker lost somewhere in a huge swath of ocean, or responding to a medical emergency on a vessel in the middle of the night. We can be called on a calm, sunny summer day in July or a cold night in November when there are high winds, driving rain and two-metre seas.
We are community members. In addition to our training and service hours, we are present at many community events – you’ve likely seen us competing in April Tools, in the parade at May Day, performing on-the-water demonstrations at Pender Harbour Days, and marching alongside our fellow first-responders and community members in the Remembrance Day parade. We take pride in showing up for our community, whether simply as a presence, or to ensure a safe environment during community marine events.
We are self-funded. We rely on our own fundraising efforts, grants and donations to continue to operate to our standards. Additional support is provided through provincial Gaming Grants and the Canadian Coast Guard, as well as through our local Sunshine Coast Community Foundation. We also support our fellow local organizations with their fundraising whenever possible.
We are part of a larger organization. We collaborate with other stations throughout the province for training and on rescue missions when necessary, in order to ensure that we can provide the best support possible and always be at the ready with the most advanced training techniques. Many more people are involved behind the scenes, at station board level and at the RCMSAR headquarters level. We are always in need of volunteers, and any level of commitment or skills helps, whether you’ve boated your whole life or have never stepped foot off land.
We could not be a marine rescue unit without sharing a few safety tips to remember as you head out on your boat: wear PFDs at all times – they can’t help you if you don’t have them on; wait until you are back in port or no longer operating the boat to crack open that cold beer; have supplies and clothing on hand in case you are out longer than planned or weather conditions change; and be sure to update friends, family or your intended destination of any changes to your timing. And please be prepared to help out your fellow boaters should the need arise.
We wish you a sun-filled, fun-filled, safe summer on the water!
– Submitted by Diana Torrens, RCMSAR Station 61, Pender Harbour
