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SAR BOOK REVIEW

"Heroic Rescues at Sea," by Carolyn Matthews, captures Coast Guard's character

Heroic Rescues at Sea: True Stories of the Canadian Coast Guard, published by Nimbus Publishing in Halifax, is a collection of stories of the organization's search and rescue missions from coast to coast. New Zealand native Carolyn Matthews, a former registered counselor, was compelled to write the book while researching the role of grief counselors during the Swissair disaster.

Her account of 34 Canadian Coast Guard rescues provides an excellent synopsis of the full scope of the Coast Guard's diverse role on Canadian waterways. Everything from maintaining buoys to dynamic rescues is covered providing insights into the many challenges the organization faces, often in life and death situations.

The range of her rescue accounts reminds us of the vastness of our maritime resources. However, there is repetitiveness in her descriptions of the treacherous nature of the waters of our inland seas and three ocean coasts, and in the images that explain why these real-life heroes became involved in maritime rescues. Phrases such as 'his dreams were of a seaman's life,' 'haunted by the ships and the sea,' 'the call of the sea was too powerful' and 'the sea and the ships that sail it were to become Dave's destiny' occur too frequently.

While the rescue accounts are well written, reflecting a combination of foreboding, emotion and drama, key details are sometimes lacking. For example, Ms. Matthews provides little information on the design, type or capabilities of the coast guard vessels involved in specific missions. Missing details also detract from the otherwise powerful story of the sinking of the L'Aigle d'Ocean in the Hudson Strait. The account of the rescue by the Coast Guard ship Norman MacLeod Rogers is well done, but details about the fatal crash of the ship's helicopter are sketchy. The names of the doomed crew are not given, and while we are told that the helicopter wreckage was found and the bodies weren't, there is no mention as to why, or if they were ever recovered.

Despite these flaws, Heroic Rescues at Sea is a well-documented tribute to the men and women of the Canadian Coast Guard and the critical role they play in saving and protecting the lives of people who venture onto Canada's abundant lakes, rivers and seas.

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