Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCM SAR) is hoping recreational boaters take away some important lessons from a long weekend incident in Porpoise Bay.
Sunshine Coast RCMP say 911 calls started coming in around 8:45 p.m. Monday, after people living in the area heard screams for help from somewhere out on the water.
RCMP, a Search and Rescue helicopter out of CFB Comox, and RCM SAR Station 12 launched a search effort, aided by a local resident who offered use of his boat.
A boat carrying two men, two women and a one-year-old child had broken down in the area between West Sechelt and Sandy Hook. One of the women jumped into the water, followed by the second woman who went in to try to get the first back to the boat. As the boat began to drift, one of the men dove into the water to try to aid the women.
The child and her father remained in the boat, which continued to drift further from the trio in the water who were all now yelling for help.
RCMP officers, using the boat put at their disposal by the local resident, were able to reach one of the women, while the RCM SAR crew rescued the other two people.
The boat was located on the shoreline, and the remaining passengers were found safe and uninjured at their residence around 11:30 p.m.
RCM SAR Station 12 media liaison Jane Macdonald said the crew and coxswain are glad the situation didn’t turn out worse and the Station 12 volunteers were pleased to be able to help out in people’s hours of need. She also said they hope all boaters take away the message that they need to be well prepared, even for a short trip, and those preparations need to include being able to summon help.
“To rely on somebody hearing your voice is just a recipe for disaster,” she said. “We are really hoping that the public understands that when you’re out on the water you need to be prepared – life jackets, flashlights, flares or some sort of signaling device. And especially when you get up into the Porpoise Bay area, [cell] reception is spotty, so you really want to have a radio.”
Const. Karen Whitby said Sunshine Coast RCMP are continuing to investigate the circumstances around the incident.
