By Nick Fearns from The Haldimand Press. October 10, 2024.
While POCOMAR sounds like it could belong to a kids’ television show, the group can actually be the difference between life and death in an emergency marine situation.
POCOMAR, also known as the Port Colborne Marine Auxiliary Rescue, is a registered charity that patrols the waters of Lake Erie from the Niagara River to the Grand River, rescuing boaters and swimmers who are in trouble.
DUNNVILLE—Dean Albanese and Hadyn Gibson of POCOMAR during a survey conducted around marinas to verify the relative risk of operations to tow distressed vessels to the marina. As a result, Albanese and Gibson are the POCOMAR members who have been the furthest up the Grand River in organisational history. At right is the route POCOMAR’s rescue vessel travelled for the survey. —Pocomar
James Fraser, Executive Officer of POCOMAR, told The Press that the group had made “three taskings in the waters off of Haldimand (from Mohawk Point to Grants Point, including Port Maitland)” so far this year.
Fraser added, “In 2023, a more typical year, we responded to eight taskings in these waters.”
Normally tasked to assist in situations on Lake Erie, POCOMAR has been tasked to assist vessels as far as 2.5 nautical miles up the Grand River.
“While the majority of these were taskings to assist disabled vessels safely return to safe harbour, upon occasion POCOMAR has been instrumental is saving lives in immediate peril,” said Fraser.
He recalled a notable event for which the crew members involved were awarded Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary medals for the mission.
On September 7, 2023, beginning at 8:48 p.m. and finishing shortly after midnight, the crew of POCOMAR 1 “were diverted from a tasking searching for a swimmer experiencing difficulty off of Sherkston Shores, to a Mayday report of a sinking vessel approximately 16 nautical miles west,” explained Fraser.
POCOMAR has two vessels, a 34-foot custom-built steel cutter (POCOMAR 1) and a 24-foot jet boat for shallow water recovery.
Fraser said POCOMAR 1 proceeded “into deteriorating weather, building seas, and winds to join other search and rescue vessels from Haldimand Fire Services and Port Dover Coast Guard.”
“POCOMAR 1, through updated positions, determined that the vessel was being set at an appreciable rate due to wind and seas,” said Fraser.
POCOMAR’s coxswain (a ship’s steersman) was able to determine the position of the scene by dead reckoning, which is an estimation done using the direction and distance travelled rather than by using landmarks or electronic navigation tools.
It was then that POCOMAR learned the Haldimand Fire vessels were standing down due to the bad weather.
“Detecting an intermittent radar contact to their west, and visually detecting faint lights to north, the coxswain correctly judged the visual detection to be the higher interest target, and found the distressed vessel overturned within 500 yards of their estimated position,” said Fraser. “Discovering four persons in the water, the crew contacted Port Dover RHIB753 – still in transit – and provided the distressed vessel’s position. “
Following an assessment of the situation, the crew determined that two of the persons were not wearing lifejackets and prioritized their rescue by passing a kisbee ring and throwing line to the first person.
“Within 15 minutes of arrival, and with the Coast Guard RHIB just approaching the overturned vessel, the crew of POCOMAR 1 had both persons without lifejackets onboard and undergoing medical assessment. The RHIB approached to recover the remaining two persons and together POCOMAR 1 and the RHIB transited to Port Maitland to meet with EMS.”
Fraser said recues like that one are only possible thanks to “thousands of hours invested in training and maintenance in order to perform effectively in dire circumstances with the requisite skill.”
“As recently as Sunday, September 15 a crew onboard our primary SAR vessel undertook a reconnoitre of the Grand River from Port Maitland to Dunnville to survey marinas, and to determine safe passage of the river as part of our periodic program of surveying areas to which we may be tasked,” noted Fraser on the ongoing work of POCOMAR to ensure their volunteers are ready for the call when it comes.
So far in 2024, POCOMAR has responded to nine emergency response calls, assisting 10 people and saving an estimated $90,000 in property. This required 73 hours of rescue operations, 214 hours of community involvement, and 486 hours of training completed.
Comparatively, 2023 saw even higher numbers at 42 emergency response calls, 84 people assisted, $763,000 in property saved, 381 hours for rescue, 374 hours for community involvement, and 1,700 hours of training.
For water emergencies, reach POCOMAR on Channel 16 VHF Radio, dial *16 on a cellphone, or call 1-800-267-7270 for the Canadian Coast Guard.
POCOMAR’s membership is made up entirely of volunteers and charges no fees for their rescue operations. Those interested are welcome to sponsor the unit.
As part of its mission to save lives on the water, POCOMAR offers complimentary boarding safety checks.
