Skagit Bay Search and Rescue

08/27/2026

07/18/2026

Earlier this week, members of Skagit Bay Search & Rescue joined our partners from Skagit Ground Search and Rescue, Skagit Mountain Rescue Unit, Inc., Skagit Technical Water Rescue and Skagit K9 SAR for a joint training exercise in and around Bowman Bay in Deception Pass State Park.

Our role was to provide marine transportation for Ground SAR and K9 teams to search areas, assist with the retrieval and transport of a subject lowered from a cliff by Skagit Mountain Rescue, and respond to simulated overturned kayakers. While each team focused on its area of expertise, the exercise emphasized something even more important, working together as one coordinated response.

While many missions can be handled by a single team, complex incidents often require multiple specialties working together. Training alongside our partner agencies helps ensure we can operate as one coordinated response when those situations arise.

A big thank you to everyone who dedicated their evening to training and to our partner agencies for a successful exercise. The time we invest in training today helps ensure we're ready when our community needs us tomorrow.

Here are a few highlights from the evening as well as an article in today's Skagit Valley Harold! Thanks to the many members who took photos of the training.
https://www.goskagit.com/news/local_news/skagit-county-volunteer-search-and-rescue-holds-joint-training-exercise/article_564c90e8-955b-4541-919a-7d7f4539b703.html

Rescue Ready. Community Strong.

05/21/2026

This week is National Search & Rescue Week! Thank you to the volunteers who make this work possible.

Being a Search & Rescue volunteer is more than responding to emergency call-outs It’s the countless hours spent training, maintaining equipment, preparing boats, reviewing procedures, and staying ready for situations we hope never happen.

I want to thank all of our volunteer SAR members who continue to show up. Not only for missions, but for the ongoing work behind the scenes that keeps our teams operational and prepared to answer the call.

These photos are from some recent maintenance days and mock training missions on the water. Whether we’re pulling boats for repairs, practicing recoveries, running navigation drills, or training for specific marine scenarios, every hour invested helps strengthen a critical service for our community here in Skagit County.

Thank you to everyone across the SAR community who gives their time, skills, and energy to this work.

Rescue Ready. Community Strong.

03/19/2026

This past weekend, Skagit Bay Search & Rescue was proud to support a high school sailing regatta at Cap Sante in Anacortes. Our crew provided a dedicated safety vessel on the water both days, along with an onshore team to assist as needed.

Despite some blustery conditions Sunday morning, the young sailors showed impressive skill and determination navigating the course. It was great to see teams from across Western Washington come together for a weekend of competition, teamwork, and time on the water.

We’re always glad to support events like this, helping ensure a safe environment so participants can focus on learning, competing, and enjoying the experience.

A big thanks to the organizers, coaches, and volunteers who made the weekend possible and well done to all the sailors out there!

02/23/2026

Last night SBSAR conducted Night Operations Training to maintain readiness for after-dark missions on our Bay 3 vessel.

Certified Coxswains are required to log night hours to remain qualified, and sessions like this ensure both experienced operators and newer members build the skills needed to work safely in low visibility.

We practiced:
• Beach landings
• Man Overboard recovery
• Search grid patterns
• Low-light navigation

We were joined by newly certified crew, a Coxswain working toward night qualification, and a navigator progressing toward certification, all under the oversight of our new SBSAR President, Bruce Hanna.

When the call comes — day or night — we’re ready.

Rescue Ready. Community Strong.

02/08/2026

Today both Skagit Bay Search and Rescue boats were on the water providing safety and support for the Rowers Race in La Conner.

Strong winds and fast current made for challenging conditions, but rowers, paddle boarders, kayakers, and support crews alike rose to the occasion and ran the course down the channel with determination and grit.

Our volunteer crews were proud to be part of the event, monitoring conditions, assisting as needed, and helping ensure everyone made it back safely.

Events like this highlight not only the skill and preparedness of our SAR teams, but also the resilience of this local boating and paddling community.

A big thank-you to the race organizers, participants, and fellow safety partners for a well-run event despite tough conditions.

Rescue Ready. Community Strong.

01/17/2026

Today our Skagit Bay Search & Rescue crew ran a training mission aboard our Bay 1 boat and headed over to Shelter Bay Marina for our annual Polar Plunge. SBSAR members suited up in anti-exposure suits and took the plunge to reinforce cold-water survival skills and proper gear use, critical preparation for real-world responses in our local waters.

We were grateful to be joined by our Medical Officer Heather Jones and three volunteers from the Skagit County Medical Reserve Corps, who shared an excellent talk on hypothermia: What it is, how it presents, and why early recognition and treatment matter so much in marine and cold-weather incidents.

Beautiful weather made for a great training day, and the MRC topped it off with hot cocoa and cookies, very much appreciated by a group of freshly dunked responders!

Huge thanks to Skagit County MRC for supporting today’s training and for the vital work they do year-round to strengthen emergency response, public health, and community resilience here in Skagit County. Partnerships like this make all of us better prepared and safer on the water.

12/25/2025

😉

Thanks to our friends from the north!

12/25/2025

Thank you to our wonderful community and volunteers!

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Looking forward to another great year serving our community.

Happy New Year!

12/13/2025

So proud of this fellow SAR member. She has assisted with training our SBSAR team. Congratulations Isle Lindall. 💙🩵💙

Isle Lindall has been awarded the Volunteer Community Pillar Award by the Skagit First Responder Foundation for her commitment to the Skagit County Volunteer Search and Rescue Program.