Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR) Station 14 Gibsons has had a busy couple of weeks with many hours on the water.
The May long weekend brought two mayday calls as well as an urgent call related to a boat adrift.
The first -a boat reported to be on fire off Gower Point -saw the crew assembled and the boat underway within 12 minutes, though this callout appeared to be a false alarm as no burning boat was found.
"The next day we reconnected an owner with his boat which had drifted off its anchor, and later went in search of kayakers reported missing off West Vancouver," said media liaison Julian Taylor. "Although this last call was out of Station 14's operating area, the Gibsons crew were tasked as they were already out on the water training."
Last weekend the Gibsons RCMSAR participated in a major search and rescue exercise hosted by RCMSAR Station One in Horseshoe Bay. Nine stations from the Greater Vancouver area participated in a day-long exercise that included mock searches for lost boaters, bodies in the water and navigation exercises. Four crew members from Gibsons manned a rescue craft during these exercises.
"We were excited to see the new type one rescue boat in action as we are presently fundraising for a similar craft, due in Gibsons in 2015," said station training officer Russ Ayers-Berry.
The new boat will provide a much better platform for operations. Shock absorbing seats will protect the crew from the fatigue that quickly sets in when travelling at speed over bumpy water, and the equipment and layout will greatly ease the recovery and medical treatment of any victims.
The Gibsons station is currently training several new crew members, providing advanced training for other "old hands" and preparing some to proceed to the rigorous rigid hull inflatable operators training (RHIOT) in Bamfield to qualify as coxswains.
"We greatly welcome any volunteer help, especially for work behind the scenes," added station leader Dave Cudlipp.
If anyone is interested in learning about volunteering with the unit, they can contact Cudlipp at 778-899-3586 or email [email protected].
- Submitted
