Canadian Lifeboat Institution Inc.
12740 Trites Road V7E 3R8 Richmond, BC, Canada

Thanks to Fish Safe BC for putting out the message of our upcoming fishery deployment.

This year the Canadian Lifeboat Institution celebrates its 40th anniversary (1981-2021). As an independent lifeboat organisation, we have been providing search and rescue services in British Columbia Canada for a long time; and to commemorate this one of our crew made this ship in a bottle of the Delta Lifeboat. Crewman and supporter Aaron T. made this and used some of the wood from Delta's last refit. All we can say is "It's a beauty - BZ".

COVID-19 continues to pose training and operations challenges for the crew. Over the past few weeks, we have continued to conduct training in order to keep our skills current and maintain operational readiness. Transferring and running of dewatering pumps is just one of the many things we practiced between the Delta and Fraser Lifeboats.

The Canadian Coast Guard establishes a marine mammal desk in Sidney BC to increase situational awareness for vessel activity near whales. https://www.cbc.ca//coast-guard-marine-mammal-desk-souther

A kayaker was saved by a fishing vessel off Gary Point Park in Richmond BC. He was not appropriately dressed for the conditions. The CLI reminds all recreational boaters that we are in Winter and with COVID restrictions there may be delays in rescues. Dress appropriately, wear your lifejacket or PFD, and always be prepared for the unexpected.

It's about to get gusty out there. Be safe. BC Ferries already cancelling morning sailings.

Lest we forget. COVID-19 affected how we normally participate in Remembrance Day. Our Fraser Lifeboat coxswains David A and Paul R raised a special flag to honour the fallen. Many of our members have served in various services including military, police, fire, Canadian Coast Guard, and not just Canadian but British, Dutch, South African, French and many other countries services. Many of our crew have family members that served in World War I, World War II, Korea, Afghanistan,... and many conflicts and peacekeeping operations in between. WE REMEMBER THEM! John Horton, Bjorn, and Mary Horton went out to lay a wreath today on behalf of the CLI. They made the wreath from their grapevine, added ivy, and rosebuds / hips. Then a couple of man-made poppies. The Delta Lifeboat went out to the middle of the South Arm of the Fraser so it would hopefully float down the river and not just catch up in the marshes somewhere. It was quite special as they knew so many people could not get together or attend ceremonies.

The CLI deployed the Delta Lifeboat to support the chum salmon fishery in the Johnston Strait from 15 Oct 2020 - 21 Oct 2020. Crews trained near Port Neville to ensure all equipment was fully operational and to prepare for any calls for assistance. On 17 Oct at 10:30, a call was monitored from Canadian Coastguard Radio referencing one canoe and two kayaks overdue in area Swanson Island. Advised JRCC lifeboat available at 5 min notice to search area if required. Training put o...n hold. At 12:44 Delta L/B was advised the overdue persons located. There being no further requirement, the Delta L/B proceeded to conduct fire / salvage training at Robbers Nob in Port Neville. Patrols were conducted over the next several days, and the lifeboat was available 24/7. On 19 Oct the Delta L/B returned to Port Neville where a radio watch was maintained through the night. At 17:35 the fishing vessel 'Lional L' was observed in difficulty off the entrance to Port Neville while changing a net. The RHIB was sent away to provide assistance. It turned out the net had fouled the propeller. Assistance was provided by the RHIB’s crew and the fishing vessel was able to proceed under its own power. On 21 Oct the Delta L/B returned to the Ladner Station. The patrol encompassed 161 hours, and 51 hours were steamed for a distance of 408 nm.

World Gratitude Day 2020

While normal Saturday training on 12 Sep 2020 was being conducted off Sand Heads the Delta Lifeboat monitored a radio call to coast guard at 11:53 from the MV Double Eagle. They reported an 18’ runabout with 6 people on board broken down and swept over the Steveston Jetty. The weather on scene was wind East at 10 knots, a slight chop and visibility approximately 5 cables in heavy smoke. The Double Eagle would stay on scene but would not attempt to cross the jetty to assist.... Delta L/B was anchored on the north side of the jetty at Sand Heads having just completed a firefighting exercise. A call to Victoria Coast Guard Radio advised Delta L/B would respond. The position of the disabled vessel was given as 1 mile above Sand Heads. Weighing anchor, Delta L/B proceeded NE along the north side of the jetty as far as the shoaling water would allow. The subject vessel was plotted on radar at still 1.4 NM away after travelling just over a mile, so before running aground, Delta L/B anchored and launched her RHIB. Directed in by radio, the RHIB was on scene at 12:27. It was decided that Delta L/B would proceed back up the river side while the RHIB towed the subject vessel through a gap in the jetty to meet up with Delta L/B, which was achieved at 13:05. With the vessel in tow and the RHIB recovered Delta L/B proceeded to Steveston. The subject vessel and 6 survivors were landed at the Steveston boat ramp at 13:50 and the incident closed. Delta L/B proceeded and secured at the Ladner Station at 14:45.

A semi-submerged, abandoned small craft wreck was recovered. While on a routine marine safety patrol on Labour Day 07 Sep 2020, lookouts aboard the all-weather lifeboat Fraser spotted off her starboard beam the partially submerged hull of a speedboat situated off the breakwater near Sand Heads. Only the bow was visible above the surface. A strong wind warning was in effect with moderate northerlies, with excellent visibility on an ebbing tide. Inside the wheelhouse with the... coxswain on the con, the helmsman swung the vessel back around for a closer look-see while the crew went into action on deck to assess the situation. After it was determined that the vessel had been abandoned and was adrift, the coxswain claimed salvage and the stricken vessel was dewatered and secured. On a serious note, this situation provided excellent training for the crew in manoeuvering in blustery rough water conditions. If you lost your RC boat and can identify it, please contact the CLI.

On Saturday 29th August 2020 while in transit between Sand Heads and Active Pass, the Delta Lifeboat received a signal that a BC Ferry had sighted what appeared to be a sunken vessel barely awash in the ferry lanes. Having been given a good position the lifeboat altered course to investigate. Coming on the scene it was found to be a small fibreglass vessel, probably about 20’ long with its bow straight down and only about 5’ of the stern sticking vertically out of the water.... Being in US waters, communications were established with US Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound and a situation report was passed. The lifeboat was requested to commence a box search to find any other floating material. A USCG helicopter was tasked from Port Angeles as was a response boat from the Bellingham Coast Guard station. When the helicopter arrived on scene and radio communications were established, the lifeboat was asked to go alongside the vessel and bang on the hull in case a person was trapped inside. Shortly afterwards the USCG vessel arrived and after passing all known info the Delta Lifeboat was stood down and able to continue on its mission. While the Canadian Coast Guard was kept fully informed it appeared an incident the night before might be related. A small vessel had been in trouble off Porlier Pass and the hovercraft rescued 2 survivors. Although an attempt was made to save the vessel the tow line parted twice so it was abandoned in rough seas. It is believed that this vessel, now deemed a hazard to navigation, was the same one now drifting in US waters. Over the next 2 days, dozens of sightings were reported to Coast Guard radio. A post-incident follow up with the hovercraft base reported the vessel as the S.V Pickle, 12’ in length with a broad beam. The hovercraft was later tasked to recover the vessel and transported it to the Sea Island Coast Guard Base.

The danger of boating alone was brought home to a Richmond resident when his small 11-foot aluminium boat suddenly started to take on water and sink leaving him swimming for his life. On Thursday, August 27, 2020, the Delta Lifeboat was returning into Sea Reach to the Delta Lifeboat Station in Ladner from an evening of training. At 8:45 pm one of the Lookouts reported debris in the water ahead. It was now after sunset and getting dark. On closer investigation, it was found to... be a submerged small boat with loose gear that had floated free. Suddenly one of the Lookouts reported he could hear a cry for help. Switching on Delta's powerful searchlights revealed a man in the water waving. The Lifeboat was manoeuvred alongside and the man was hauled aboard where he was treated for hypothermia. While he was being attended to, the Lifeboat crew managed to recover some of the debris and lash his Skiff to the stern. During the recovery, RCM-SAR stood by to provide assistance if required. After making a full report to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, the Lifeboat returned at 10 pm to Ladner where the survivor was met by a thankful wife. This was a very lucky rescue, for, with total darkness descending and an outflowing river, the survivor would have been swept out into the Gulf and perhaps not found until the next day with possibly tragic results. Note: Picture is not from this rescue.

The CLI would like to share that our very own John Horton will receive the Order of British Columbia. Due to COVID-19 there will be no ceremony or pictures at this time; however, this will be done at a later time. Congratulations John. Since we couldn't say it better, we share a post from Commodores Boats:

Thursday training July 30. In order to assist boaters in Deas Slough, the Fraser Lifeboat has to lower its mast and antennas. Although we have practised lowering the mast in the past, this is the first time we actually do it to go underneath the small bridge at George Massey Tunnel and highway 99. The tide is 3.5m and we still have enough clearance. Also, the depth from the bridge to the River House Marina is sufficient. Our return trip had a magnificent sunset with dredger FRPD 309 hard at work.

The Fraser Lifeboat received a call during the CLI Lifeboat Day of a vessel aground South of Sand Heads. Fraser departed Ladner and headed out to Sand Heads. The stricken vessel had hydraulic problems, no steering, and only a single person aboard. As the tide was rising, the vessel went adrift and Fraser crew advised him to drop anchor. Once on-scene the crew waited for tide changes to determine if there was enough clearance to safely render a tow. With an average depth of 8 feet, the vessel was securely towed back to Steveston Harbour, where it was secured to the government dock.

Saturday 18 July 2020, was CLI Lifeboat Day in the City of Delta, BC. Both Delta and Fraser Lifeboats were on public display for external viewing at the Elliott Street dock in Ladner by Sharkey's Restaurant. This was a great opportunity to see the community's search and rescue vessels. Even the Mayor and his wife came out to see. Thank you to everyone who came by to say hi and learn more about us.

On Canada Day 01 July 2020 both Fraser and Delta Lifeboats were active. Fraser found a vessel aground off Kirland Island and advised JRCC. As the tide was too low we departed and checked back later. At that time they declined a tow and decided to float off themselves. Delta L/B checked later and confirmed they were gone. As the weather was poor there were few boats on the water. Also, the freshet was happening with a lot of floating debris.

If you transport a vessel by road in BC, please pay attention to requirements from BC Conservation Officer service.

The Fraser River has a lot of debris at this time of year. The CLI reminds pleasure boaters to use caution when navigating.

Over the past 2 weeks, the CLI has returned to regular on-water training and operations. COVID-19 considerations are at play as we follow the requirements of CCG, Transport Canada, and WorkSafe BC. Both Lifeboats pose unique challenges with limited space for social distancing. We are self-limited to 5 crew including Coxswain for the next while unless engaged in rescue and retrieving persons. Training varies between the two vessels; however, was well received and we are all happy that we are back on the water although in a somewhat different way than we were used to.