Prince Rupert Coastal members assist with boat adrift

Prince Rupert RCMP responded to call for assistance of a different kind this weekend, by assisting a stranded boater and his family. 

Larger image Prince Rupert RCMP boat tow's Jeff Easingwoods fishing vessel behind it near Bishop Bay. Photo courtesy of Clearly Coastal Photography

On Sunday April 30th the Prince Rupert Coastal members stationed in Hartley Bay received a call for help via a personal satellite communicator; a subscription based tool that is used to communicate remotely via satellites, it is also capable of sending SOS signals and reporting your exact location to rescuers.

The members learned that a Prince Rupert resident, 39-year-old Jeff Easingwood, along with his wife and three young children had become stranded in Bishop Bay, a small bay just east of Gribbell Island and Wright Sound. Easingwood and his family lost use of the main motors on their vessel and were using their small kicker motor to propel themselves when that too became inoperable. 

Cst. Van Wyngaardt and Cst. Saunders jumped into action and tracked down the adrift boat where they began to tow them toward Kitimat as it was the nearest location to have the vessel serviced. 

Larger image Prince Rupert Coastal Boat on the water with mountains in the background. Photo courtesy of Clearly Coastal Photography

"People often don't know about the Prince Rupert Coastal unit exists," Media relations officer, and member of the Prince Rupert Coastal team, Cst. Brody Hemrich said, "we travel to the communities we serve by boat and sea plane and respond to all sorts of calls, this one was a little more unique as the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) requested we assist."

Cst. Hemrich went on to say, "We are lucky enough on the coastal unit to have some very experienced operators such as Cst. Van Wyngaardt who is a former Canadian Coast Guard member and his skills are invaluable to our unit."

"I wanted to thank Cst. Van Wyngaardt and Cst. Saunders for their help when my family and I need it the most," Easingwood reflected on the situation. "Their professionalism and skill was incredible and they helped get us to safety. They also helped make a stressful situation turn into one where we knew we were in good hands."

Larger image Cst. Saunders operating the Prince Rupert RCMP boat towing Jeff Easingwood's behind it. Photo courtesy of Clearly Coastal Photography.

The Prince Rupert Coastal team encourages those who are heading out for any kind of trip where cell service can be limited to consider safety plans, including but not limited to devices capable of transmitting your location such as an Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or a remote satellite communicator that is also capable of sending text based messages. Letting others know your plan, including routes and times you expect to arrive, is also advisable.

To contact the Prince Rupert RCMP please call 250-624-2136 in case of an emergency please dial 9-1-1.