Outdoor enthusiasts keep volunteer marine rescue unit busy in 2020

It’s been a record-breaking year for a volunteer search and rescue unit that responds to calls on Lake Ontario.

The Grimsby Auxiliary Marine Rescue Unit (GAMRU) says it was involved in 43 rescue missions between the start of July and the end of October.

Spokesman Doug Mepham says that breaks the unit’s previous record of 38, set in 2018, and that he believes the pandemic has a lot to do with the increase in calls for help.

Mepham says people were locked down for the first part of the year, and once restrictions were loosened, “we saw people out all over the place enjoying the outdoors.”

“They can’t fly to visit Aunt Thelma in B.C., they can’t go to visit relatives in Atlantic Canada, they can’t go to the U.S.,” so he adds that “staycation became the word.”

Mepham also notes that more and more people own inexpensive options that allow them to get on the water, such as kayaks, canoes and standup paddleboards.

Unfortunately, he says that put people on Lake Ontario who weren’t ready for it. “They weren’t trained, they didn’t have the understanding of things like weather, and that translated pretty quickly into problems.”

Mephem says a multi-day, multi-agency search for a sailor missing from Oakville was the most significant draw on the resources of their more than 30 volunteers.

GAMRU says it saved 24 lives, assisted 27 people and recovered $188,000 in property during 2020.

GAMRU South Shore Search and Rescue is made up of more than 30 volunteers and is a member of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary.

The unit is currently conducting an on-line auction of gift cards and gift certificates as it raises funds to support its efforts.

The auction began Monday and runs through Saturday online at http://www.32auctions.com/GAMRU2020.