Royal Canadian Marine Search & Rescue
PO Box 2364 V8L 3Y3 Sidney, BC, Canada

Current health orders mean RCM-SAR stations remain in service but cannot train. However, recently 443 Helicopter Squadron out of Victoria airport were required to requalify their crews in marine and land-based Search & Rescue operations. They cannot perform this exercise in a marine environment unless a safety boat is on standby. Station #36 were tasked with providing this support. It’s one of the many little-known services our volunteers provide from time to time. To start ...the day, Station 36 dropped one adult sized rescue dummy in Plumper Sound and departed the scene. Victoria Coast Guard were informed of the exercise just in case someone reported a person in water (PIW). We waited an hour for the tide to have an effect then told the helo of the last known position (LKP) and asked that they locate and retrieve the PIW. As expected, 443 Squadron were well drilled and executed flawlessly. They easily located the PIW even after it had drifted a long way from the drop location. The dummy had been specially weighted so that only the head was above water and it was floating vertically. When we dropped it in the water it looked just like a crab pot float. While they were hoisting the PIW, we told them of a 2nd casualty that was in need of an airlift from a beach on Saturna Island. Now they needed to relocate and find a safe place to land so that we could hand over our casualty. They found a place nearby and we handed our casualty over to them for loading into the helicopter. Instead of repeating the entire exercise for a second aircrew, we took some shortcuts. In order to do a second PIW hoist, the helo came to us and threw the 1st dummy out before rescuing them with another manned hoist. They then gave another pilot a chance to drop into the tight spot by repeating the landing. Big helicopter, small field, no problem for these guys. You can see in the video just how stable they make the approach. The day ended with getting all our crew back on board the Jack Simpson and 443 giving us a thank you flyby. You’ll see our new hypothermia warming gear in the photos. It was the first time we used it outside the boathouse and it looks to be a winner. If I was hypothermic, staying in that nice warm bag would be my choice. We also fitted a head/neck brace to stabilize the patient. At the handover, the air crew simply used the handles to easily load the casualty into their basket. An excellent bit of kit made possible by your donations.

Things can go wrong on even the nicest of days. Station 36 were tasked to help a sailboat aground at Canoe Cove. Skipper bought the boat 2 days ago and drifted onto the rocks while putting out the jib. No damage and skipper was on his way within the hour.

Last Sunday RCM-SAR Station 36 received at 04:56 a PANPAN for a 26' SAILBOAT reported drifting in the ferry lanes in Colborne Pass by Seaspan. GAR 24 located the SV with a broken bowline, jammed against the shoreline of Coal Island, barely afloat and determined no one was aboard or in the water. A bow in grab and go was performed in very shallow water to bring the vessel into deeper water where an assessment could be done. A side tow was then successfully attempted in gusty gale winds amongst anchored vessels and mooring buoys and the vessel was towed and secured to a nearby nearby dock. Good job!

Station 36 was tasked on Thursday on a call from Victoria Coast Guard, reporting a 21 foot aluminum boat washed up on the small beach near Kanaka Bluff, Portland Island, caused by ferry wash. Three persons on board, no injuries or distress. The crew managed to tow them off the beach with out damaging their boat. They expressed sincere gratitude and did not require escort home to Deep Cove. Another mission resolved successfully!