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Boaters rescued by Coast Guard
Northern News Services
Published Monday, September 30, 2013
UQSUQTUUQ/GJOA HAVEN
The crew of the CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier rescued two boaters last week after they ran out of fuel in rough water and became stranded on an island near Gjoa Haven.
The pair had left Taloyoak on Sept. 20, destined for Gjoa Haven but didn't arrive as expected.
As a result, the Government of Nunavut's protection services unit notified the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Trenton, Ont., of the situation.
The centre sent a CC-130 Hercules aircraft and the Sir Wilfred Laurier to the area.
After an hour of searching, the Hercules crew located the stranded boaters on Tutqaviq Island.
They dropped a radio and spoke with the stranded boaters to find out if they needed medical assistance.
"They said that they were doing all right and could stay overnight to await extraction the following day, but they needed fuel for their portable stove and were out of food," stated MCpl. Eric Boivin, the search and rescue technician who spoke with the stranded boaters over the radio, in a news release.
"We knew that they would have to cope with the elements until further rescue assets could arrive to extract them so we dropped survival equipment, including food and water, as well as fuel for their portable stove."
The following day, on Sept. 22, the Sir Wilfred Laurier sent its on-board helicopter to pick up the pair and take them to Gjoa Haven.
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