A Job Well Done

By: Jen Parker

Just as we started to make dinner the phone rang. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton was on the line with news of a vessel in need of assistance. After recording the necessary information, we headed to the sailboat's last known position.

Since we knew the vessel's relative location and that it was a sailboat, the mast was quickly spotted. As we got closer we noticed that the boat sat at a near 45 degree angle in the water with at least 3 feet of its keel exposed. The two people on board sat calmly at the stern, sporting their lifejackets, and explained that they had miscalculated the entrance to the channel. Their error in judgement had caused them to run aground.

Unfortunately, they had already contacted a salvage company so all we could do, at first, was sit and wait. We scouted the area around them to find the deepest water and thus the best angle to pull them off; information that salvage could use.

When the hired tow arrived, we offered our assistance. After several failed attempts, the salvage reluctantly accepted our help. We were prepared with a strategy. I secured the sailboat's main halyard to the tow line of our fast rescue craft. With the Zodiac's power, we tilted the vessel enough to re-float it while salvage towed it off the sandbar.

Our presence had saved the couple time and money, and our successful plan made us smile as we proceeded back to the base.