A crackling marine radio call for help, a southerly wind roaring through Stuart Channel between Salt Spring and Vancouver Island at close to 80 km/hr, and waves of nearly three feet ... oh and, did I mention? It’s dark.

This is not exactly the time any of us would choose to jump into a boat and head out to sea, but on the evening of March 24, just as they were finishing up their weekly crew meeting, a call from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre sent our local Marine Search and Rescue team (RCMSAR25) out into the proverbial ‘dark and stormy night’ to look for a distressed sailboat.

Wearing their survival dry suits and radio helmets, and equipped with radar, night vision goggles, electronic charts, and powered by the combined 450 horsepower of the engines on their 28’ rigid-hulled inflatable, the team cast off from their dock at Vesuvius and started hunting for a drifting 27’ Catalina sailboat somewhere out in the dark.

Radio communications were scratchy at best, and the boat they were looking for didn’t know its own position. Nearing Crofton, the crew spotted a sailboat underway, but it wasn’t the one they were looking for. This one was safely pulling into harbour. But the people aboard had seen another boat “over by Salt Spring” that might be in trouble.

RCMSAR25 began a long search in the dark for the troubled vessel using night vision goggles and radar. The Catalina, at this point, was no longer answering the radio. After 30 minutes or so a faint intermittent radar contact appeared on their screen and then faint lights could be seen over a mile away. The crew made a bee line for it.

The disabled sailboat turned up just east of Chemainus, says incoming Station Leader Chris Levan. “The jib was torn and flapping in the wind, a loose halyard was whipping around in the wind in the dark, and he had a tender in tow, but he didn’t appear to be making any headway. There was nobody on deck, and no response to radio hailing. We got close enough to shout in the high wind, which eventually brought the owner out. He said his rudder was damaged and he couldn't straighten it. The good news was he was wearing a PFD and he and his dog were uninjured.”

RCMSAR25 had to attach a line to the sailboat to tow it to Chemainus; no easy feat given the waves, wind and darkness. The stricken vessel was moving unpredictably, and that loose halyard was a concern. Eventually a 200 ft. tow line was attached and RCMSAR25 began to tow the sailboat at four knots towards safety.

Coxswain John de Bruyn remembers, “As we approached Chemainus, we planned to shorten the tow line at the mouth of the harbour for better maneuverability, and then transition to a side tow when we reached calmer water further in. But first we had to avoid the outgoing ferry bearing down on us. We contacted them by radio, they acknowledged, and we both made a turn to starboard. However, when we tried to shorten the towing line the sailboat’s broken rudder pushed it into an awkward position as soon as the line was slack. Maintaining control was tricky, but eventually, we got it tied up securely.”

RCMSAR25 tied their boat up as well, to take a break, grab a granola bar, drink some water and respool the towline from the dock before casting off for the trip home to Vesuvius. By the time they reached the mouth of Chemainus harbour it seemed the wind had increased. The return crossing was a 45-minute ride through heavy waves to the safety of their home dock and warm clothes in the team’s ready room, three hours after they had originally cast off.

Says team member Cheryl Wilkinson, “We feel confident going out in that kind of weather because we train for it, we have safety protocols, we have all the right gear, and we know we can rely on each other.”

Most of RCMSAR25’s taskings are far less dramatic. They are most commonly called out to aid boats that have lost engine power or have mechanical issues, and summer is usually busier than the rest of the year, but every now and then they get a call where life and limb are truly at stake.

The crew assists with coordinated joint ground, air and sea searches, such as when a kayaker or paddle boarder goes missing, and may also be called out to assist the Coast Guard on larger incidents. The unit is directed by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria, which is staffed by Canadian Air Force and Coast Guard personnel, and works closely with the other volunteer RCMSAR units from Pender Island, Ladysmith, Brentwood Bay and Sidney. Our local team recently participated in a coordinated mock wildfire disaster scenario with SSI Fire Rescue, SSI (Ground) Search and Rescue, SSI Emergency Response and the community of Vesuvius.

The Salt Spring RCMSAR unit is entirely volunteer, and the crew members come from all walks of life. Some have never owned a boat or spent much time on the water before they begin their training, others have been recreational boaters for years. Some have medical training, and others have expertise in mechanics or electronics. The crew ranges in age from 16 in the juniors’ program with the high school to seasoned vets in their 70s and is truly like a second family.

This spring RCMSAR25 is opening applications for new recruits who live on Salt Spring. Members receive thousands of dollars’ worth of free training, from chart and electronic navigation and VHF radio use to boat handling and nautical skills, to first aid, water rescues and search techniques in exchange for a commitment to ongoing training and responding to emergency callouts. You’ll also gain what’s called ‘local area knowledge’. That’s personal knowledge and experience of the waterways, tides, currents, hazards and shorelines in the area; knowledge you can’t learn by just looking at a chart. And a bonus – once you reach 200 hours you qualify for a federal search and rescue volunteer tax credit.

If you live on Salt Spring and own a boat, joining RCMSAR25 is a great way to learn new skills and join a community of islanders who love this landscape and being on the water. If you don’t have a boat but would love to spend more time out on the water, learning skills and making boating safer for all, then consider joining up!

If you’d like to learn more or have questions about applying to join RCMSAR25, see the web site at rcmsar25.com or contact crew member Doug Weihing at 250-221-0835 or email us at recruiting@rcmsar25.com