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PATROL AREA |
Wellington Search & Rescue patrol area covers a SAR patrol area of 2400 square kilometers. It stretches 60kms from Nicholson's Island to Prince Edward Point and 40 kms south to the U.S. border and includes about 125 kilometers of shoreline.
The modern day Wellington Rescue was created in 2008 as part of a plan to improve Wellington Harbour. The new rescue boat was very fast, capable of reaching just under forty knots, and so able to cover a large area quickly. At the time it was established, Wellington Rescue divided the patrol area to the West with the rescue service operating in Brighton. The dividing line was off Nicholson Island.
To the East, in theory, Wellington Rescue covered Wellington Bay, Athol Bay, Soup Harbour and the coast of Lake Ontario, to Prince Edward Point and Prince Edward Bay to Point Pleasant. Beyond Point Pleasant, in all likelihood, the Coast Guard cutter out of Kingston would be called upon. In practical terms however, only rarely would Wellington Rescue be expected to respond to calls that far to the East. With the establishment of a new rescue service in Waupoos in 2014, agreement was reached that Wellington’s service area to the East would be up to Prince Edward Point, with Waupoos covering Prince Edward Bay.
While the division of responsibility might appear to imply a rivalry, in fact, the rescue services work and train together. Since Wellington Harbour is entered through a channel of limited depth, larger boats and sailing vessels can’t be returned to Wellington’s home port when rescued. In such cases, Wellington will “hand-off” the rescued vessel to one or the other of the neighbouring services with deeper water ports.
The modern day Wellington Rescue was created in 2008 as part of a plan to improve Wellington Harbour. The new rescue boat was very fast, capable of reaching just under forty knots, and so able to cover a large area quickly. At the time it was established, Wellington Rescue divided the patrol area to the West with the rescue service operating in Brighton. The dividing line was off Nicholson Island.
To the East, in theory, Wellington Rescue covered Wellington Bay, Athol Bay, Soup Harbour and the coast of Lake Ontario, to Prince Edward Point and Prince Edward Bay to Point Pleasant. Beyond Point Pleasant, in all likelihood, the Coast Guard cutter out of Kingston would be called upon. In practical terms however, only rarely would Wellington Rescue be expected to respond to calls that far to the East. With the establishment of a new rescue service in Waupoos in 2014, agreement was reached that Wellington’s service area to the East would be up to Prince Edward Point, with Waupoos covering Prince Edward Bay.
While the division of responsibility might appear to imply a rivalry, in fact, the rescue services work and train together. Since Wellington Harbour is entered through a channel of limited depth, larger boats and sailing vessels can’t be returned to Wellington’s home port when rescued. In such cases, Wellington will “hand-off” the rescued vessel to one or the other of the neighbouring services with deeper water ports.
A History of wellington rescue
There has been a “rescue boat” in Wellington harbour for as long as there has been a Wellington harbour. Historically, mariners from Wellington have gone to the aid of vessels in distress on Lake Ontario in rowing boats, sometimes launched from the beach.
In more recent times, local people organized a rescue service using a local boat owned by one of the crew members. From around 2000, the service was carried out by a local crew using an older diesel powered boat. In 2005, when the boat was put in the water in the spring, it sank! Needless to say, under the circumstances, the crews were willing but the rescue service was less than totally reliable.
At about the time the old wooden rescue boat sank, there were major changes happening in Wellington Harbour. An important part of the changes was the divestiture by the Federal government of recreational harbours to local authority. In the case of the dock at Wellington, local council declined to accept responsibility for the wharf because it required major improvements to make it serviceable as the basis for a community marina. While the Federal government agreed to the renovation of the main wharf, considerable work was needed to make a dock into a marina. Enter WHIP, the Wellington Harbour Improvement Project. Generously supported by Mr. Walter Oster, the CEO at Canadian National Sportsmen’s Shows, the harbour improvements were made.
Part of the WHIP five year improvement plan included setting up a rescue service under the auspices of the Canadian Coastguard Auxiliary. To operate a rescue service out of Wellington, a boat was required. It transpired that the Ontario Provincial Police were retiring the boat they had been using for regulation enforcement patrols out of various County marinas, including Wellington. The boat being retired was a Limestone 26 which would very well serve the needs of the nascent rescue service.
In more recent times, local people organized a rescue service using a local boat owned by one of the crew members. From around 2000, the service was carried out by a local crew using an older diesel powered boat. In 2005, when the boat was put in the water in the spring, it sank! Needless to say, under the circumstances, the crews were willing but the rescue service was less than totally reliable.
At about the time the old wooden rescue boat sank, there were major changes happening in Wellington Harbour. An important part of the changes was the divestiture by the Federal government of recreational harbours to local authority. In the case of the dock at Wellington, local council declined to accept responsibility for the wharf because it required major improvements to make it serviceable as the basis for a community marina. While the Federal government agreed to the renovation of the main wharf, considerable work was needed to make a dock into a marina. Enter WHIP, the Wellington Harbour Improvement Project. Generously supported by Mr. Walter Oster, the CEO at Canadian National Sportsmen’s Shows, the harbour improvements were made.
Part of the WHIP five year improvement plan included setting up a rescue service under the auspices of the Canadian Coastguard Auxiliary. To operate a rescue service out of Wellington, a boat was required. It transpired that the Ontario Provincial Police were retiring the boat they had been using for regulation enforcement patrols out of various County marinas, including Wellington. The boat being retired was a Limestone 26 which would very well serve the needs of the nascent rescue service.