District 3 C&A - 2010 AGM Report

Synopsis for the year 2009 (January 1 to December 31)

District 3 C&A - 2010 AGM Report
Synopsis for the year 2009 (January 1 to December 31)
Director: Jamie Kerwin  -  Deputy Director: Neil Jardine  -  DTC: Randy Eaton

The following numbers represent active vessels and members only and are in reference to statistics compiled via the SMS.

District 3 active vessels numbered 11 with 71 active crewmembers including vessel owners, coxswains and crew.  District 3 also had 3 other administrative members for a total of 74 active members.  Included in the District numbers are 5 evaluators and 5 instructors.

District 3 vessels responded to 52 taskings.  Total hours on tasking were 142.88hrs and total person hours were 422.26hrs.  This compared to the regional numbers meant that District 3 vessels had 22.71% of the membership, 23.33% of the tasking hours and 20.86% of the total person hours for the Region.  To put it in perspective, greater than 1/5 of all tasking hours were handled in District 3.

District 3 held two SAR courses in 2009 and sent 5 people to the MED A3/SVOP courses held in Burlington.  9 of the 11 active vessels completed some form of on water training and 1 vessel completed a crew evaluation.  Two crews trained with CASARA, something that had not been done for many years if ever.

Major activities that D3 vessels participated in were Wings N Wheels Air Show (3 vessels), WAMBO (1 vessel), USCGA D9 Central Annual Conference (1 member), Port Huron to Mackinaw Race (1 vessel), and the Port Huron Float Down (1 vessel).  Most of these events have been long standing venues that D3 vessels have participated in over the years and as always, they continue to put the Canadian Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary before the public in a positive way in both Canada and the United States.

Two vessels in District 3 were selected to participate in the Regional AIS test program.  One vessel managed to become AIS active while the other decided to drop out of the program for various reasons.  In the future the AIS could be used by JRCC and Sarnia CGR to monitor the locations of CCGA vessels.  The active vessels are also able to see other AIS active vessels including commercial vessels in the area.  This increases safety for all involved during a SAR tasking.

As the 2010 boating season approaches, plans are in place to complete all necessary training of members that have now crossed the 5-year line.  As per the Training Committee mandate, all vessels will have completed a ride check before the end of the 2010 boating season.  Two multi-agency training sessions are in the works for Lake Erie and Lake Huron and as always, the usual events will need to be covered.  A busy year is on the horizon.

As we prepare for another busy season of SAR, one is reminded of the reason why District 3 is successful in both training currency and operational readiness, that being the dedication of its membership.  Thanks to all that make this an incredible district to belong to.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jamie Kerwin
Director, District 3

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