Does The Coast Guard Do Stuff Other Than Help Boaters?

wizard

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Nov 18, 2011
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... i've been watching a medium-size coast guard vessel inching back and forth along the texada island coastline in bc for about a week now. it's obviously not there to save anyone in distress ...

... not the first time i've seen whacky marine activity from the government in malaspina strait ...
 
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petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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... i've been watching a medium-size coast guard vessel inching back and forth along the texada island coastline in bc for about a week now. its obviously not there to save anyone in distress ...

... not the first time i've seen whacky marine activity from the government in malaspina strait ...
It's harvest.
 

wizard

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Nov 18, 2011
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... this summer i watched the coast guard AND the royal canadian mounted police harassing a group of native indians that undertake an annual canoe trip down malaspina strait at powell river. it was positivley appalling. the natives have never been attacked that way before that i've seen ...

... found a photograph of the coast guard boat trolling up and down malaspina strait. it's this very vessel named "vector" that i see every time i look out my window now:



... if it's on spy patrol it's been identified ...
 

Tonington

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Oct 27, 2006
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They do lots of other stuff. The Pacific Biological Station, if it's anything like Saint Andrews Biological station in New Brunswick, has a Coast Guard vessel that the science branch of DFO use from time to time, as well as for enforcement and other things. DFO also use them for research tows to assess fish stocks. And now that the government has announced an end to funding of the at-sea observer program, it's going to be more important than ever that the Coast Guard lends a hand with management related activities. I don't expect the fishermen will be able to pick up the entire cost of the observer program.
 

wizard

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Nov 18, 2011
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... thanks for your reply tonington ...

... however, they look like they might be hiding from something. federal coast guard cutbacks maybe?
 

taxslave

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Nov 25, 2008
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They could be doing anything from water quality survey near the mine to ocean floor mapping to hanging out until their next fuel allotment arrives. Or maybe they are monitoring the overflow from your septic tank into the ocean.
 

petros

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Nov 21, 2008
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JLM

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They do lots of other stuff. The Pacific Biological Station, if it's anything like Saint Andrews Biological station in New Brunswick, has a Coast Guard vessel that the science branch of DFO use from time to time, as well as for enforcement and other things. DFO also use them for research tows to assess fish stocks. And now that the government has announced an end to funding of the at-sea observer program, it's going to be more important than ever that the Coast Guard lends a hand with management related activities. I don't expect the fishermen will be able to pick up the entire cost of the observer program.

Any activity observed by the Wiz is for nefarious reasons!
 

Corduroy

Senate Member
Feb 9, 2011
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What's with those five circles? Some kind of spy code? Are they eyes? Only creature I know with eyes like that is a spider! Is the Coast Guard run by the giant spider illuminati? Is the city of Vancouver (seen in picture) a sleeping spider? Is it planning to catch Malaspina spit in its web, injecting it with venom and wrapping it in web for consumption later?

Yes! It all makes sense now.
 

#juan

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Aug 30, 2005
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I was a power boater for quite a few years on the west coast of B.C.. The coast guard ran the boating qualification
examinations for anyone operating a boat in these waters. I was a member of the coast guard civilian auxiliary for
twelve years.
 

Dexter Sinister

Unspecified Specialist
Oct 1, 2004
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... i've been watching a medium-size coast guard vessel inching back and forth along the texada island coastline in bc for about a week now. it's obviously not there to save anyone in distress ...

... not the first time i've seen whacky marine activity from the government in malaspina strait ...
Right, just because it's the government and you don't know what the vessel's up to, it must be something stupid. The coast guard's business is icebreaking, northern resupply, navigational aids, search and rescue, ship inspection and standards, channel markers, mapping, lighthouses, navigational hazards, and weather advice, and for those purposes operates 33 coastal radio stations, 15 maritime traffic centres, 55 search and rescue stations, 56 major vessels like the one you saw, 35 helicopters, 74 rescue vessels, and 4 hovercraft. Ya coulda looked it up, it's not secret. Inching back and forth along the coast suggests some sort of mapping or charting activity. The coast guard maintains some 13,000 channel markers, so obviously it has to know where the channels are, and they've been known to shift. It could also be something as simple as training new crew in navigation and ship handling, you'll see naval vessels behaving the same way when that's what they're doing, I've seen them in the Saanich Inlet. But really, you probably could call the nearest coast guard station and ask if you really want to know, instead of leaping to the conclusion that they're up to something whacky.
 

taxslave

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Nov 25, 2008
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Right, just because it's the government and you don't know what the vessel's up to, it must be something stupid. The coast guard's business is icebreaking, northern resupply, navigational aids, search and rescue, ship inspection and standards, channel markers, mapping, lighthouses, navigational hazards, and weather advice, and for those purposes operates 33 coastal radio stations, 15 maritime traffic centres, 55 search and rescue stations, 56 major vessels like the one you saw, 35 helicopters, 74 rescue vessels, and 4 hovercraft. Ya coulda looked it up, it's not secret. Inching back and forth along the coast suggests some sort of mapping or charting activity. The coast guard maintains some 13,000 channel markers, so obviously it has to know where the channels are, and they've been known to shift. It could also be something as simple as training new crew in navigation and ship handling, you'll see naval vessels behaving the same way when that's what they're doing, I've seen them in the Saanich Inlet. But really, you probably could call the nearest coast guard station and ask if you really want to know, instead of leaping to the conclusion that they're up to something whacky.

You think observing the overflow from Wiz's septic tank is wacky? He does live right on the beach.
Maybe they were counting the rocks wiz steals off the beach?
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
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Right, just because it's the government and you don't know what the vessel's up to, it must be something stupid. The coast guard's business is icebreaking, northern resupply, navigational aids, search and rescue, ship inspection and standards, channel markers, mapping, lighthouses, navigational hazards, and weather advice, and for those purposes operates 33 coastal radio stations, 15 maritime traffic centres, 55 search and rescue stations, 56 major vessels like the one you saw, 35 helicopters, 74 rescue vessels, and 4 hovercraft. Ya coulda looked it up, it's not secret. Inching back and forth along the coast suggests some sort of mapping or charting activity. The coast guard maintains some 13,000 channel markers, so obviously it has to know where the channels are, and they've been known to shift. It could also be something as simple as training new crew in navigation and ship handling, you'll see naval vessels behaving the same way when that's what they're doing, I've seen them in the Saanich Inlet. But really, you probably could call the nearest coast guard station and ask if you really want to know, instead of leaping to the conclusion that they're up to something whacky.

8O
Dexter! Why do you hate the coast guard?

;)
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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Right, just because it's the government and you don't know what the vessel's up to, it must be something stupid. The coast guard's business is icebreaking, northern resupply, navigational aids, search and rescue, ship inspection and standards, channel markers, mapping, lighthouses, navigational hazards, and weather advice, and for those purposes operates 33 coastal radio stations, 15 maritime traffic centres, 55 search and rescue stations, 56 major vessels like the one you saw, 35 helicopters, 74 rescue vessels, and 4 hovercraft. Ya coulda looked it up, it's not secret. Inching back and forth along the coast suggests some sort of mapping or charting activity. The coast guard maintains some 13,000 channel markers, so obviously it has to know where the channels are, and they've been known to shift. It could also be something as simple as training new crew in navigation and ship handling, you'll see naval vessels behaving the same way when that's what they're doing, I've seen them in the Saanich Inlet. But really, you probably could call the nearest coast guard station and ask if you really want to know, instead of leaping to the conclusion that they're up to something whacky.
Or maybe it's dope harvest time on Texada, Gabriola, Lasqueit, Denman and a host of other small island? Maybe fishing boats from the US come up the Strait for and are met by hard bottom pontoon boats full of Texada Time Warp? 100s of Millions of $$$ worth at insane US prices.

8O
Dexter! Why do you hate the coast guard?

;)
See above?
 

SLM

The Velvet Hammer
Mar 5, 2011
29,151
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London, Ontario
Or maybe it's dope harvest time on Texada, Gabriola, Lasqueit, Denman and a host of other small island? Maybe fishing boats from the US come up the Strait for and are met by hard bottom pontoon boats full of Texada Time Warp? 100s of Millions of $$$ worth at insane US prices.


See above?

Yes, ok, all valid arguments. Well, they're arguments.

But turning the wizard loose on the Coast Guard? That's gotta be it's own little circle of hell!