Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary Pacific - Unit 12 Halfmoon Bay has had a busy couple of weeks responding to six separate incidents.
At 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 8, the unit along with its response vessel Ken Moore was called out to assist a 24-foot sailboat with a jammed rudder and non-functioning engine about two miles off the dock in Halfmoon Bay.
Media liaison Drew McKee said the rescue boat arrived on the scene at 1:10 p.m., but could not immediately find the vessel in distress. The sailboat was finally found and taken under tow.
Meanwhile, the Ken Moore was tasked to assist a 50-foot sailboat that had apparently dragged her anchor very close to the rocks in Secret Cove. The first disabled sailboat was then passed to the water taxi Grackle when Ken Moore went to assist the sailboat in Secret Cove.
"Once the crew had assessed the situation they were then tasked to go back to the 24-foot sailboat, at the time under tow by the Grackle, to take over the tow and to take the stricken vessel to the dock," said McKee. "With this accomplished the crew then went back to the 50-foot sailboat on the rocks and assisted the water taxi by fastening on to the anchor rope so the vessel could be dragged to deeper anchorage and the anchor reset."
The Halfmoon Bay crew was paged out again just after 9 p.m. as a woman had phoned the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria to report a lone person in a small car-top type boat off the Trail Islands who seemed to be in trouble and was attempting to seek assistance.
The Ken Moore left its base in Secret Cove at 9:30 p.m. and arrived at the Trail Islands around 10. A Cana-dian Coast Guard hovercraft was also on the scene.
"The rescue boat's crew spotted a small boat with a single occupant and went over to it to ascertain the problem, if any," McKee said. "The gentleman was tied to the channel marker between the islands and advised the crew that he had found it and was taking it home as a souvenir. He had the marker buoy tied to his motor and was rowing vigorously. "The crew pointed out to him that the marker was fixed firmly to the ground and that it was unlikely that he would be able to take it anywhere."
McKee said around 10:15 p.m., the man let go his line on the buoy and left at high speed.
"It was well past dark and rain was beginning to fall. The Ken Moore went after him using search lights and followed him to a dock where the crew helped him out of his boat and assisted him in tying it up," he said.
In the early hours of Wednesday, July 30, Unit 12 was called out to check and plan an appropriate response for a skipper who had fallen and injured his chin while moving his boat to a new anchorage in gusty weather. McKee said crews found the vessel in Smuggler Cove and transported the injured party to the government dock at Secret Cove where his injury was appraised and treated by paramedics. Members of Unit 12 then conveyed the gentleman back to his family aboard his vessel in Smuggler Cove and set a stern line ashore to keep the boat from swinging in the gusty winds. Three days later, on Saturday, Aug. 2, a mixed crew of members from Unit 61 Pender Harbour and Unit 12 aboard the Ken Moore, while assisting with the Sunshine Coast Wooden Boat Festival in Pender Harbour, responded to a radioed request for assistance from a vessel that had lost power and was dragging her anchor close to the shore in Davis Bay. The Unit 12 vessel was tasked to tow the boat under difficulty to safety behind the Selma Park breakwater. After securing the boat, the Ken Moore then returned to the festival.
On Sunday, Aug. 3, the Ken Moore was again called out to assist the B.C. Forest Service in fighting a cliff-side fire in Frenchman's Cove.
The Unit 12 boat transported firefighters and equipment from a helicopter-landing site to the scene of the fire that was working its way up the steep cliff face. Crews provided water security for the helicopter that picked up and dropped a good number of loads of water on the fire. Between that and the efforts of the firefighters, the fire was extinguished.
