By Donna McMillan
JUST as it takes a vibrantly interested boating community to help raise a Coast Guard Captain, so does it take a team of first responders to help successfully rescue people in distress in the water, Coast Guard Captain Lauren Ardiel told the Maple Leaf.
Captain Ardiel of the Canadian Coast Guard Search and Rescue Station in Tobermory, Engineer Scott Colman, Rescue Specialist Jackie Kennedy and Deck Hand Dawson Lucier were awarded the Rescue of the Year First Responder Award for an autumn 2024 rescue. The award was presented at Canadian Safe Boating Awards ceremony in Toronto on January 19.
Captain Ardiel said the team was nominated by the OPP, who were involved in the rescue along with EMS, Parks Canada and the fire department.
October 13 was a bad weather day in Tobermory, Captain Ardiel said. The crew moved their Coast Guard boat Cape Commodore from the Big Tub into the Little Tub—as the two harbours in Tobermory are called.
A group of people were staying in an Air BnB in the more sheltered Dorcas Bay on the west side of the Bruce Peninsula just south of Tobermory. Four paddlers from the group in kayak and canoe were carried out into Lake Huron by strong winds, she shared. Their boats overturned several hundred metres from shore. Fortunately, they were all wearing life jackets (which saved them, she said), and a friend watching from shore called OPP.
EMS, Parks Canada, fire officials and OPP all worked together for the rescue that saw Captain Ardiel’s Coast Guard team taking their Zodiac out for the rescue. There was great communication among all the participating parties. It was hypothermic conditions, she said. The four victims were transferred to EMS Tobermory and taken to Lions Head Hospital. The outcome was good.
“We got recognized for it. It was just part of the job,” Captain Ardiel said.
Captain Ardiel said the Tobermory Coast Guard team responds to 50 to 60 incidents in a year. Most of their calls are medical related, she said.
They also go out on patrols to warn canoeists and kayakers of changing weather conditions and to wear life jackets. The crew also does training and keeps in communication with the MS Chi-Cheemaun ferry and such tour boat operators as Bruce Anchor Cruises and Blue Heron Tours.
She said these ferry and tour groups will also call the Coast Guard if they see someone in trouble. They work a lot with Parks Canada as well.
“We have amazing groups there,” Captain Ardiel said. She spoke highly of the hardworking team she works with and said how lucky she is to be a part of it.
—
Originally published February 19, 2025
