When Taylor Swift visits Vancouver in December for three sold-out shows, she’ll need to work one more date into her schedule: training with a Gibsons marine search and rescue group.
Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR) Station 14 (Gibsons) released an invitation on Instagram (@RCMSAR14) to the superstar earlier this month, though if Swift isn’t available, they’d be even more glad to have some locals join up.
The one-minute tongue-and-cheek recruitment video stars RCMSAR volunteers out in scenic Howe Sound as they contemplate inviting Swift out for a ride-along.
“She’s a pretty powerful woman, I think she’d want to be at the helm, in charge of 500 horses,” says Tess Huntly.
“Are you kidding? With her voice, she’d be great on comms,” Hanna Beyser argues.
The idea of the video came to member Brent Berry one morning some weeks ago after they’d been asked for recruitment ideas. He pitched it to Karen Buckley, an Advanced Crew Member with Station 14.
“It just seemed like such a fun, crazy out of the box idea that it was hard not to love it,” said Buckley.
They recruited well-known local photographer and filmographer Dolf Vermeulen, who is long-time family friends with the Berrys, Brent’s wife Linda even taught Vermeulen Grade 2. “It was a lot of giggles and laughter during the shooting because [Vermeulen] was so organized,” Berry enthused.
Vermeulen donated the 20 hours it took to produce the video, though he was quick to point to the on-screen talent. “All of these other people on-camera volunteer a lot more time toward search and rescue,” he said. “Between being excited to work with Brent, and also being very thankful for what search and rescue does for our community, it was pretty easy.”
Station 14 serves almost 600 km of Coast waters, Port Mellon to Davis Bay, responding to about 20 callouts a year.
Berry and Vermeulen went back and forth over the script, tweaking it for easy delivery on social media, “because no one has a long attention span on social media,” said Vermeulen.
Then, they shot the video in a day, on May 30.
“Whether or not Taylor Swift ever sees it, I think it’s something a lot of people can connect with,” said Vermeulen.
RCMSAR14 has about 24 volunteers but they’re always looking for more.
“There’s attrition that happens all the time,” said Huntly. “It does have a bit of a time window, there’s only so long you can do this work.
“I’m going on 10 years and you start to get to a point where you may not be – as you get older – as physically able, so it’s always good to have newer younger more energetic people.”
Beyer, 19, has been with Station 14 for three years. The engineering student at UBC doesn’t have as much time as she’d like to dedicate to RCMSAR but hopes to make more time for it as school allows. She posted the video to her Instagram profile, and it worked in piquing her followers’ interest. “I actually do have a couple of friends who are wanting to join,” she said, though they too are facing time crunches with work and school.
RCM SAR headquarters on the island picked up the video and colleagues and friends (and partners’ clients) have also praised the film as it made the rounds locally.
A day or two after the video’s release, Berry got a call to rescue two men in a sailboat whose engine had broken down – they too had seen the video.
Several people have commented that the pitch made them want to join RCMSAR, “which I thought was good commendation for the video,” said Huntly.
To join, one needs their Pleasure Craft Operator Card, a clean criminal record, proximity to the boathouse, and a willingness to put in some time. Other training is provided.
Berry has sent a letter to Swift’s agent, noting that they are “very serious” in their offer to Swift.
“We are certain her presence on our boat in rescue gear would send such a positive message to women in rescue organizations throughout our province, indeed North America, while, most importantly, inspiring so many others, of any gender, to consider joining,” wrote Berry. “And we think she’d have a lot of fun.”
They have yet to receive a reply.
For more information on RCMSAR14 or to join, visit join.rcmsar14.ca.
