BC’s Kitasoo Xai’xais First Nation puts new SAR landing craft into service

The Kitasoo Xai’xais First Nation of British Columbia recently placed a new search and rescue (SAR) capable landing craft into service in the waters around the Great Bair Rainforest.

Ksm Wutsi’in (“Mousewoman”) measures 9.1 metres long and can cruise at a speed of 25 knots.

The boat will be operated by local non-profit Coastal Nations Coast Guard Auxiliary (CN-CGA) as part of the Canadian Coast Guard’s Indigenous Community Boat Volunteer Pilot Program. The program provides First Nations coastal communities in BC with funding to purchase boats that are built for their specific needs and marine environments.

An eight-metre SAR boat was provided to BC’s Quatsino First Nation in October 2021 as part of the same program.