Where to start? Probably with one of the easiest types of "tasking." Prescot Coastguard Radio had asked me to assist a small boat just a few miles out from Sugarloaf Marina. The owner had called it in and could not start his engine.
A lovely sunny day, with a calm Lake Erie, a pleasure to open up POCOMAR 1 as we crested out to the distress vessel’s given position. We spotted our target easily and proceeded to slow to come gently alongside the vessel.
You know when a really good day comes along and the task you are asked to do is so simple it just adds to the day?
There were four in the boat, a couple with two small children. As we were approaching to come alongside, the father’s first comment was to ask if anyone onboard had cigarettes as he had finished all his and continued to ask it as each crew member shook their heads. They had been out there for over three hours when we arrived and there was no apparent concern for his family, who may well have been a tad upset that Daddy couldn’t get them back to safety. It took the shine off of what should have been a pleasant and easy ‘rescue’.
Note: This isn’t an anti-smoking rant. In my younger days I smoked, and when I quit it was when I was going through about three packs of Marlboro Reds each day whilst in the Middle East. Smoking, the dumbest of habits I had for around 30 years. I met my Canadian wife in Oman and discovered quite early on that as a smoker I would never be seen as a suitable suitor! So I just quit one day. And still thank my wife for helping me do that.
I do digress, don’t I.
Fortunately, the youngsters were probably less disturbed than their mom, although I like to think that our arrival made all of them feel better about their day, maybe the toddlers seeing it as some sort of adventure.
It turned out our boat owner had only run out of gas, maybe just as dumb as being a smoker, so it was an easy tow back to Sugarloaf Marina, where we could see the family safely ashore.
Please don’t get me wrong, for the most part the reaction from those we helped on Lake Erie was incredibly positive and rewarding for us as SAR crews. A majority of them were stunned when we told them there was no charge at all for our services. In fact, our ‘remuneration’ was an hourly fee based on fuel cost and the time of each tasking, which was paid to the unit, not to the SAR crews.
Each unit had its own budget, supplemented by donations and fundraising events, to cover the maintenance of the vessels and equipment along with SAR clothing, necessary training materials and so much more. I never met a CCGA volunteer who ever profited, financially, from being a Member of a SAR Crew.
There were so many Taskings that were all and only about assisting boaters who were in trouble and for the most part they were almost always so rewarding for the SAR crews involved just to have done what they were trained to do, and they all did it so well.
We had a young lady volunteer who had little boating experience, was not from Port Colborne, but was living here and who chose to join POCOMAR. She was a star from the start and quickly became an extremely valuable SAR crew member.
She was the reason for one of my proudest achievements in my entire time with POCOMAR, although before I even got there she announced that she planned on being accepted by the Canadian Coastguard College, which she was, so became a Canadian Coastguard and, I guess, continues to flourish in the CCG.
I was able to help train, work with, then recommend, assess and approve the appointment of POCOMAR’s first two female SAR Rescue Coxswains. They were both as good, if not better than their male colleagues at times, including myself.
On one tasking, to assist a vessel when the owner had suffered a heart attack, one of these coxswains directed her crew to return to Sugarloaf Marina, whilst she committed to performing CPR on the victim. She knew her crew were well able to do their job and chose to take on the responsibility of attempting to save the heart attack victim until the local Emergency Response could take over on their arrival. Sadly, that was not the case, but what an incredible call out for those who volunteer to go out and try to save lives, just because they want to, and without expecting any recognition.
