09/29/2024
Ironically, the 65th Toronto Sea Scouts were conducting safety training on Saturday — a man-overboard drill — when a polypropylene lifeline, meant to help us rescue our practice dummy, drifted under the stern of the boat and wrapped tightly around our propeller.
The engine stopped dead. With 20-km/h winds and waves that measured close to half a metre, it was too dangerous to attempt to lift our 60-kilogram, 9.9-horse Suzuki outboard from its stern well while we were still in Humber Bay.
We were about 500 metres offshore between Ontario Place and the Dufferin buoy — not that far from our mooring at the National Yacht Club. But the wind was blowing from the east and United, our 27-foot Montagu whaler with a crew of 11, aged 11 to 74, was drifting quickly in the wrong direction.
While Skip called C Tow for assistance, the older Scouts and adult Scouters broke out our five sweep oars and started to row.
Using the oars, we were able to get to and bring in the tall man-overboard pole we had thrown in the water at the beginning of our drill.
But our wooden MOB target is still floating westward in Lake Ontario.
And the wind was too strong for us to row home to NYC.
The captain at C Tow wasn’t sure how quickly he could get to us, so he asked the Toronto Police Marine Unit to dash out and perform the rescue.
After about half an hour, as our oarsmen were pulling us closer to the breakwater west of Ontario Place, we were pleased to see a big police RHIB racing toward us, red and blue lights flashing.
We shipped our oars while Constable Todd Adams manoeuvred his 35-foot boat next to United. Constable Chris Radford tied a tow line on to our bow ring as Constable Ellie Edwards took our stern line and helped the 11 of us over the gunwales into their craft.
Chris jumped into United and took control of our boat’s tiller while Todd steered the police vessel past Ontario Place and through the western entrance of NYC’s mooring basin.
Chris and Ellie tied United to the shoreline wall, our Scout crew stepped on to dry land and we bade the three police officers a fond farewell.
Minutes later, Nolan was next to us in the water taxi, Go Between, to take most of our Scouts back to the clubhouse. And the officer of the day found two kind NYC members to bring another Rigid-Hulled Inflatable to the end of the mooring field and organize a final tow to United’s own mooring.
There, in calmer water, three of us lifted our heavy motor on to the stern deck, where we carefully removed the rope wrapped around the prop.
The engine runs like new again. And we are left with only good memories of an exciting day that could have ended much worse.
John C.P. King
Skip, 65th Toronto Sea Scout Group
