When your group is responsible for rescuing stranded and endangered boaters down the Douglas Channel, a slow year is actually a good thing.
The group has been active in recent months recruiting new members and have done some safety upgrades to their boathouse as well.
But in terms of actual call outs they are below their average.
Kitimat Marine Rescue Society’s Chris Peacock said that since January they’ve had about eight rescue calls.
Their average is about 12 or 13, he said.
For him that’s a sign people are taking all the right steps when they take their boats out.
“It means people are being safer on the water,” he said.
That means more time fixing up their own place.
He said their dock was once built on two old logs which over time had become trouble.
“It’s served its purpose well for three or four years,” he said, but this year they bought proper plastic floats.
Ten of their members came out the first day to pitch in for the work and eight came by the next.
Peacock says the group has good numbers of volunteers right now, but he said they’re never going to say no to more numbers.
With a recent bump of five members they have 16 in total in the society.
The group held four nights of recruitment in September and saw several people sign up.
Looking ahead, the club’s big priorities are training everyone so everyone gets up to the same level.
In total training can take up to five months.
Aside from the Facebook page, Peacock says people can e-mail rcmsar63kitimat@gmail.com for information including how to volunteer.
Peacock says that while the year’s been slow, traditionally they get a spike of calls early in the spring, usually people’s first outing in their boat after being in storage, and then another spike in the fall.
He says that’s because while boating traffic is busy in the summer, people with trouble in the fall can’t flag a nearby boater down for immediate support.
