The Inuvik Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary (CCGA) received a donation of two customized search-and-rescue Sea-Doos from Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) July 7.
Some of the waterways in the Mackenzie Delta are very tight and narrow channels inaccessible by boat, so the Sea-Doos will make it easier to navigate small areas, according to CCGA unit leader Paul MacDonald.
Samantha McKay/NNSL photo
"I believe it's going to reduce our risk out on the water," said MacDonald. "So instead of trying to push into a very tight, narrow channel with a boat that really shouldn't be going through there, now we can zip in with a vessel that is designed for that environment."
The two Sea-Doos are the first ones in the CCGA across Canada, according to MacDonald.
He said he thinks the Sea-Doos have arrived at the perfect time now that the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway is bringing more adventure tourists to the region.
"With the infrastructure that has come in now with the road to Tuk, a lot more tourism is coming to Inuvik and to Tuk. There's a lot of adventurers, so they're pushing off into the delta. Canoers, kayakers, they can get into very shallow, very tight areas," he said. "With the SAR rescue jet-skis, we'll be able to do a more thorough search into areas that we normally wouldn't be able to get into, and hopefully save more lives."
One Sea-Doo is in Inuvik now and ready for use, and the other will arrive later this year once it has been built, according to Catherine Moreau, BRP's senior media relations advisor.
"All products are actually customized to the needs of the client. That's the unique thing about the SAR Sea-doos," said Moreau. "It's customized to the needs of the delta … as soon as it's ready, it will be coming in."
The new Sea-Doos feature lights for night time use, an unlocked system for quick deployment by any rescue team member and sport mode as a default for quick acceleration in emergency situations.
Moreau said BRP received a request from MacDonald for the rescue Sea-Doos last fall.
"Paul sent us the request, and we were so touched with their story and commitment to the community's safety," she said. "They were using their own vehicles, and we saw the context and the conditions and we were charmed with their request. We really wanted to help them and ensure the community's safety."
MacDonald said he hopes that these Sea-Doos will become commonplace among CCGA units across Canada.
"I think when they see the versatility of this unit and our safety record and how safe it is to operate and the training plan that goes with this unit, you'll see more and more units within Canada picking up the SAR rescue jet-ski from BRP," he said.