‘Hundreds and hundreds of rescues:’ marine SAR volunteers recognized for 35 years of service

The Jones brothers, along with Gordon’s wife Kathryn, came to the rescue.

“I think that that couple and several others from this summer would tell you the Jones’ may have saved their lives,” Skoreyko told NanaimoNewsNOW.

He noted Canadian Coast Guard personnel later arrived and could only helplessly watch on as the tide toppled and sunk the vessel.

Upwards of 15 marine rescues are responded to by the Jones crew each year, while Skoreyko said 20 to 25 tasks are called in to their Deep Bay base annually.

In the case of Lasquieti Island tasks, it would take neighbouring SAR and coast guard teams at least 30 minutes to reach areas the Jones brothers can access much faster.

Responding at all hours of the day and night is no problem for the duo, who have their marine radios on around the clock.

“Lots of times they’re even calling the rescue centre and saying ‘we’re awake, we can go get em.’ Within minutes they’re into their boats and gone, it’s crazy — hundreds and hundreds of rescues they’ve done in 35 years.”

He estimated the brothers have responded to more than 350 missions since 1988.

Skoreyko said while the Jones’ are compensated for each mission, they’re out of pocket for things like maintaining their boat and some safety equipment.

Participating in regular training exercises is a foundational part of being an RCMSAR member.

He described Gordon and Bruce as legends among their community of hundreds of volunteers at 31 coastal stations.

“It’s unbelievable that these guys are so committed. They’re running an aquaculture business from their home and they will abandon their business instantly to rescue people.”

While some call-outs the Jones’ and his colleagues up and down the coast respond to are unavoidable, Skoreyko said other missions can be prevented with better planning.

He said there seems to be rising numbers of inexperienced boaters plying coastal waters, pointing to underestimating weather conditions and not interpreting changing tides properly as reoccurring issues.

“Maybe in a lake you can drop your anchor to the bottom and that’s good, but when the tide comes in and raises your boat up 15 feet and your anchor is swinging, it does you no good.”

In a joint statement to NanaimoNewsNOW Gordon and Bruce Jones wrote they look forward to many more years of participating in local SAR activities.

“For us the greatest benefit in being part of RCMSAR has been participating in training exercises and being encouraged to make sure our equipment is always ready for action. We have made many new friends through our SAR activities, we say: ‘You meet the nicest people on rocks and sinking boats.’”

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes

by Ian Holmes

‘Hundreds and hundreds of rescues:’ marine SAR volunteers recognized for 35 years of service

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