The Jun 22-23 weekend was Field Day, which is the highlight of the amateur radio year and the largest emergency preparedness exercise with over 40,000 radio operators participating in North America. These operators annually practice the rapid deployment of temporary emergency stations and operation off-the-grid for 24 hours. It is also a lot of fun! Our Fraser L/B coxswain David A represented the CLI, one of 6 stations, at the Delta Amateur Radio Field Day event at North 40 Park near Boundary Bay Airport. Our station was set-up using a Buddy Pole antenna, ICOM IC7000 radio and working PSK31 and FT8 digital modes on 20 meters HF. Power was derived from a battery and solar power.
Poor band conditions prevailed due to sunspot activity, but we still managed to make a fair number of contacts.
CLI participates in the 2019 Blessing of the fishing fleet
On Saturday 01 Jun 2019, the Fraser Lifeboat together with a dozen fishing boats and the Vancouver fireboat participated in the Blessing of the Fishing Fleet, at Fisherman’s Wharf, False Creek. This was a special event, to which CLI was invited for the first time. Following the blessing, the wharf business owners offered a buffet style meal. Marinated and Smoked salmon and barbecued tuna sliders with a variety of delicious salads. Continue reading “CLI participates in the 2019 Blessing of the fishing fleet”
CLI supports 2019 RNSA Single-handed race to Nanaimo and return
Rescue Boater requiring assistance – May 2019
On Saturday 18 May the Fraser Lifeboat was conducting a Safety Patrol in Ladner, just off Ladner Reach. We discovered a small pleasure boat bumping into the shoreline. We were flagged over and advised his engine had quit. A tow was provided back to Ferry Rd boat launch near Captains Cove Marina. As this was supposed to be a test run, the operator had no life-jackets on board. A spare was provided during the tow. As the tide was too low at the boat launch for us to manoeuvre, he had to row in the last little bit. The event was called into Coast Guard Radio who were kept apprised of the situation.
Southern Straits Race 2019
The West Vancouver Yacht Club again requested the assistance of CLI’s Delta Lifeboat as a communications and safety vessel for the 2019 “Southern Straits Yacht Race” held on the Easter Weekend. A large fleet of 85 yachts from Canada and the US raced over 3 courses – short, medium and long, all starting off Dunderave Pier, West Vancouver, at 10:30 on Good Friday morning. The long course yachts would race as far north as Sisters Islands, well beyond the ability of the WVYC monitoring radios. Therefore the Delta Lifeboat was requested to deploy to the Islands to monitor all rounding’s as well as be on hand if any yachts required assistance. Continue reading “Southern Straits Race 2019”