Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary Unit 20
The man ran his skilled eye down the board he had been planing and could see that it needed more work.  As he adjusted the plane for the final fine cut he could feel the warmth radiating from the wood stove that made it a real joy to spend this stormy day in his woodshop.  He paused from his work and looked out at the wind driven tableau of trees bent to the breaking and beyond the bay a veritable cauldron of wind whipped foam.  Instead of his ipod to keep him company, today he monitored his marine radio set to continuously scan the Coast Guard working channels as well as the distress and calling Channel 16 to see if anyone was foolish enough to venture out into the teeth of the storm.
It was then that he heard the first Mayday called in by a vessel after observing a 27-foot sailboat being knocked down by the wind, taking on water and quickly sinking, ejecting 6 people into the frigid waters of Georgia Straits.  Shortly thereafter there was a second Mayday from a sailing vessel that had been de-masted.  This was soon followed by a third Mayday.  As vessels, including one of the BC Ferries, steamed to the area around Entrance Island it became apparent that all of the sailboats and a number of others who were not in distress were part of a race sponsored by a yacht club on the mainland.
When the race started on Good Friday morning Environment Canada was reporting gale force winds out in the Straits but the organizers elected to start the race.  Several hours later the low-pressure system responsible for the storm deepened and the winds increased to storm force.  However it was not until mid afternoon that the organizers called the race by which time all of the participants had wisely chosen to seek shelter or were being helped.  Fortunately all six persons from the sunk sailboat were picked up and transported to medical attention in Nanaimo where they were treated for hypothermia, but the result could have been far worse.
There are a number of questions that should be asked about this aborted race.  Why with gale force winds howling out in the Straits did the race captain decide to start the race?  Why did the vessels’ skippers decide to go out?  The person responsible for the safety of the passengers on any vessel is the skipper.  It is important that anyone operating a vessel feel the weight of that responsibility.  It is the skipper’s responsibility to decide if they will venture out or stay at home safe in their woodshop planing boards.  Undoubtedly there was some peer pressure at play silently coercing the some of the skippers to go.
The events of Good Friday were recreated from memory and may not be correct in every aspect however the responsibility of a skipper for the safety of the vessel and crew can never be forgotten.