A new 11-metre long vessel is available to patrol the expansive Whiskey-Golf military testing range off the coast of Nanaimo, replacing aging vessels. (submitted photo/Stephen McCormick)

By Alex Rawnsley

steer clear

New patrol vessel operating inside central Island military testing range

Feb 26, 2025 | 4:33 PM

NANAIMO — A new vessel for military personnel operating in local waters is being dubbed a game-changer for public and participant safety.

Personnel at the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental and Test Range in Nanoose Bay took possession of a new Range Security Vessel (RSV) on Wednesday, Feb. 19, replacing one of their aging RSVs which can no longer be effectively repaired.

Range manager Stephen McCormick told NanaimoNewsNOW the 11-metre patrol craft is the first of three vessels which will help retire its slow-moving and aging predecessors: the CFAV Egret, the YAG-680 and an open inflatable patrol boat.

“Our range security vessels in the past have had a top speed of 16 knots…these new vessels are capable of at least 50 knots and where that’s important is there are times in which members of the boating public may not be aware, or may be errantly straying into the range while an operation is going on.”

A map of the Whiskey-Golf testing range, located off the coast of Nanaimo, Nanoose and Parksville. (Google Maps)

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The vessels patrol the vast Whiskey-Golf range in the Strait of Georgia, north and east of the Winchelsea Islands, during military operations.

Periodically closed to civilian traffic, the roughly 200 square kilometre range is used by Canadian and American personnel to test surface and underwater vehicles.

A variety of ships, submarines and air-dropped torpedoes are deployed in the area during military operations.

McCormick said no explosives are used in their testing, which is outlined in an annual agreement between Canada and the United States.

The new vessel’s advanced handling capabilities make it a very smooth ride in choppy waters, which is typical off the coast of Vancouver Island, while the new vessel’s speed makes it ideal for catching up with errant boaters.

“Most often the boaters around Parksville, Qualicum, Nanaimo, most of them are very familiar with the range, they know to call in on radio and see what’s going on with the range. We often find it’s the…people visiting the area who are renting a boat and didn’t know what’s happening or they could be from the States, coming up here and cruising around not knowing.”

Built in Vancouver by Zodiac Hurricane Milpro, the new RSV is powered by a trio of 300-horsepower outboard motors and carries between two and eight people.

The next two ships are expected in March and June respectively, while the retiring vessels will be scrapped.

Staff from the Nanoose Bay-based testing range say the new vessel is a game changer. (submitted photo/Stephen McCormick)

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