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Bamfield, B.C. – Dr. James Lunney, Member of Parliament for Nanaimo--Alberni,
announced today on behalf of the Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries
and Oceans, the naming and dedication of a new 47-foot multi-task high-endurance
lifeboat, the Canadian Coast Guard Cutter Cape McKay, at the Canadian Coast
Guard Station at Bamfield, British Columbia.
"Lifeboats like the Cape McKay, and the talented crews who run them, are
the foundation of Canada’s marine search and rescue system", said Dr. Lunney.
"Cape McKay is designed to respond quickly to emergencies off the west coast
of Vancouver Island, an area that often faces tremendous wind and waves rolling
in from the Pacific, particularly in winter."
Canada’s new government is particularly interested in public safety. The vessel’s
self-bailing and self-righting capabilities allow it to withstand even the most
severe conditions at sea, and along with Coast Guard crews, to effect rescues under
the most challenging circumstances.
The ceremony to name and dedicate Cape McKay was held at the Canadian
Coast Guard Station in Bamfield where the vessel is currently positioned. Vessel
sponsor Lorraine Hegstrom officially welcomed the cutter into the fleet by smashing
a champagne bottle over its bow. Cape McKay complements the search and rescue
role that Coast Guard has played in the community for close to 100 years.
All Canadian Coast Guard 47-foot lifeboats are named after capes located on the
coast where they operate. CCGC Cape McKay was named after the cape located
50 kilometres northwest of Bella Coola on the Central Coast of British Columbia.
The Canadian-built Cape McKay is the seventh of eight new Coast Guard
cutters being deployed in the Pacific region, which provide search and rescue coverage
24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
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Dan Bate
Communications Advisor
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region
604-775-8809
604-209-6225
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NR-PR-06-20E |
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