Volunteers with Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Unit 14 (RCMSAR14) were called into action three times over two days last week, responding to a jetskier in distress and two separate incidents during their open house event.
“It turned into a real-time demonstration of the skill, commitment, and readiness of our volunteer crew,” Morgan Beall, a spokesperson for the unit, told Coast Reporter.
The evening of July 18, RCMSAR14 responded to an emergency near Roberts Creek.
“At about 9:30 p.m. we were dispatched to search for a jetskier that had broken down somewhere off the shore of Roberts Creek,” Ryan Brown, who served as coxswain on the mission, told Coast Reporter. “The last known position was about 3km offshore.”
Brown and a crew of four launched by 10 p.m. “Within minutes, we spotted a faint light from an unknown source … At the same time, we had a target come up on radar that suggested the same location,” he said.
“At 22:35hrs, we had located the stricken Sea-doo with its sole operator and got him on board immediately,” Brown said. “After about five hours on the water with the fading sun and increasing wind, he was already in mild hypothermia.”
The man was wrapped in blankets, and his watercraft was towed to safety.
Brown noted that the entirety of the call was 2.5 hours long and that it was completed without any serious incidents.
The next day was an even busier one for volunteers.
The first Saturday call came in as a possible Mayday near Home and Preston Islands, on the east side of Keats. “Our crew launched quickly, searched the area thoroughly, and found no signs of distress,” Beall said. “Thankfully, it was a false alarm.”
Just as the crew returned to shore, they were dispatched again. “This time to assist a 33’ sailing vessel with possible engine failure off Popham Island,” Beall explained. “With worsening weather and the vessel unable to navigate, our crew safely established a tow and brought the sailors into harbour, ensuring everyone got home safely.”
Beall noted the timing of the incidents: “Both of these missions happened in the midst of welcoming the public to our station during our open house; a day intended to showcase what we do.”
Jordan Copp is Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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