# HMCS Yellowknife rescues stranded hiker



## daftandbarmy (7 Sep 2022)

BZ YEL & CCG!

Sounds like the Nootka Island Trail, not the WCT...


HMCS Yellowknife rescues stranded hiker


The Kingston-class vessel was conducting Search and Rescue (SAR) Zone patrol with the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) when a call came for help about a male hiker in his 20s at 6 p.m. at Tongue Point, Nootka Island, in a radio transmission from a Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) of Victoria.

Sub-Lieutenant (SLt) Martin Hagen, Naval Warfare Officer in HMCS _Yellowknife,_ said the hiker was not local and unfamiliar with the tides and dangers of the area.
“The hiker ultimately decided to hail the Canadian Coast Guard rather than risk warding off wolves and other wild animals while waiting for the next sea taxi to arrive in three days,” SLt Hagen said.

According to him, the hiker was unable to reach the last ferry sailings off the island. Given the hiker’s original plans, he was not equipped for staying in the cool and wet weather conditions, and lacked the necessary equipment to make a safe shelter for the night.

_Yellowknife_ dispatched a Zodiac inflatable rescue boat with Petty Officer Second Class Andrew Astles, Sailor First Class Kyle Morgan, and Stephanie Rose, CCG Rescue Specialist. The hiker was contacted via handheld VHF radio, located above the drying shoreline, and quickly extracted.

The hiker was suffering from a hand injury and mild hypothermia. He was treated and then transported to a CCG Rescue Boat, which took him to Gold River for the trip home.

Lieutenant (Navy) Ben Scott, _Yellowknife’s_ Executive Officer, said the hiker faced a predicament that many newcomers who hike Vancouver Island’s rugged West Coast Trail face.

“Many people who hike the West Coast Trail are overcome by events and do not prepare adequately,” Lt(N) Scott said. “HMC ships regularly patrol SAR zones and are more likely to respond to these sorts of rescue calls.”









						HMCS Yellowknife rescues stranded hiker  - Pacific Navy News
					

The crew of HMCS Yellowknife rescued an injured hiker stranded on a remote island off Western Vancouver Island on Aug. 15.




					www.lookoutnewspaper.com


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## Halifax Tar (8 Sep 2022)

Well done!


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## OldSolduer (8 Sep 2022)

Good show troops!!


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## Blackadder1916 (8 Sep 2022)

Good show, Yellowknife & CCG!

However, the scarcity of detail about the "ill-prepared" and injured hiker left me wondering.  How was the JRCC contacted?  Assuming that Nootka Island likely has no cell coverage, had the hiker been sufficiently prepared with alternate (and effective for that trek) comms in case of emergency?  Maybe he was adequately prepared after all.


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## Colin Parkinson (8 Sep 2022)

Possibly a SPOT device, they are very common now. Back in the 90's we had our first person we rescued off of Brooks Peninsula who had borrowed an EPRIB for their trip. It certainly helps remove the "Search" from SAR.

Speaking of which, another step to less searching








						Apple Announces EPIRB-Like Satellite SOS Feature
					

by John Konrad (gCaptain) Today at a launch event in California, Apple announced they built emergency satellite communication it’s calling “Emergency SOS” into the new iPhone 14. Carried by all...




					gcaptain.com


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## FormerHorseGuard (8 Sep 2022)

So many unprepared hikers, paddlers, and sailors in need of help. Glad the help got there before it was really bad or  no longer a rescue but a recovery. Good job.


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