More than two years after their new boathouse was towed into Gibsons Harbour, the Sunshine Coast RCMP finally have a bigger, better patrol vessel to park inside it.
The new boat replaces the detachment’s Zodiac Hurricane, which left the boat operator and passengers largely exposed to the weather.
“The new boat – built specifically for the needs of the Sunshine Coast RCMP detachment – is faster, more stable, and most importantly, has a fully-enclosed cabin to keep both officers and passengers or prisoners safe during transport,” RCMP said in a release. While the boat will be housed in the Gibsons boathouse, “it is also trailerable, meaning that the public can also expect to see it in Sechelt Inlet and in the northern areas of the Sunshine Coast.”
About seven metres in length, the new vessel was built by Titan Boats in Sydney.
The smaller vessel it replaces could only handle seas with two-metre waves, which sometimes caused delays responding to calls or meant the RCMP had to resort to other modes of transportation in rough conditions.
“Sunshine Coast RCMP are responsible for a longer stretch of coastline than any other detachment in the province,” said Staff Sgt. Vishal Mathura, detachment commander. “Our officers need to be able to respond quickly to anything from an intoxicated person causing a disturbance on Gambier Island, to a firearms call up in Jervis Inlet. Those calls may come on a nice sunny summer day, or they may happen on a stormy night in November. With our new vessel, we are more prepared to get to those places safely and in a reasonable amount of time.”
RCMP members have been out on the water getting used to the new boat and practising a variety of safety drills.
In addition to responding to calls, other marine duties include stopping vessels to ensure compliance with boating regulations, checking for impaired boaters, and doing foot or bicycle patrols of water-access-only communities.
Most exciting of all, RCMP say, elementary school-aged children on the Sunshine Coast will have the opportunity to name the new vessel.
Stay tuned next week for details on the upcoming contest.
