It has been one year since the sinking of the whale watching vessel Leviathan II and survivors, first responders and the greater community gathered at Tofino’s First Street Dock to remember the six people that perished in the accident.
October 25, 2015, was a beautiful autumn day, weather-wise, for Tofino; a great day to go out on a boat to view wildlife.
There was very little wind, making for a comfortable boat ride for the 24 passengers and three crew members that headed out for Plover Reef to view sea lions basking on the rocks.
At Plover Reef most of the passengers went to the upper deck, starboard side, to get the best view of the sea lions when a large wave reportedly struck the port side of the boat, causing it to capsize.
Crew members managed to deploy a life boat and a fire distress signal while survivors clung to whatever they could. They were not wearing life jackets because regulations did not require it for the type of vessel they were in.
Ken Brown and Clarence Smith, who happened to be fishing off of Flores Island, spotted the flare launched from the life raft and made their way to the scene, calling on the VHF for help when they saw that their boat could not take all the survivors.
Boats arrived from Ahousaht and Tla-o-qui-aht territories to assist, rescuing 21 survivors and recovering five people that didn’t make it. The remains of the sixth person were recovered several days later.
One year later Clayoquot Sound is being hit with wind and rain, typical weather for this time of the year. Survivors and their families bundled up in warm, waterproof gear braved the wind and the cameras, as they gathered at the memorial cairn dedication ceremony yesterday.
There were tears and plenty of hugs and survivors as rescuers laid eyes on each other for the first time in a year.
Two women approached fisherman Ken Brown, wrapped their arms around him and thanked him for pulling them out of the water. Dwayne Mazereeuw and his wife Elisa Kasha, parents of two young children, greeted Frenchie and Michelle Campbell with hugs and tears.
At the memorial ceremony Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne called for a moment of silence to remember those that lost their lives one year ago. Tla-o-qui-aht elder Levi Martin performed a prayer chant and blessing of the cairn.
Mayor Osborne talked about how proud she was of her community for coming together under such tragic circumstances. What has happened over the past year, Osborne said, has affected everyone in the community in some shape or form.
The memorial plaque, said Osborne, is a physical reminder of the incident and a place to reflect. One year later it provided an opportunity to gather together.
“Gathering and sharing as a community is an important part of the healing process,” said Osborne.
She went on to say that she is proud to be the mayor of this community. She then readi out the names of those who lost their lives in the Leviathan II sinking: Nigel Hooker, 63, Raveshan Pillay, 27, Jack Slater, 76, Katie Taylor, 29, David Thomas, 50 and Stephen D. Thomas, 18.
Standing to the side was a young couple holding their baby daughter; tears filled their eyes as the baby smiled and waved her arms. Ian Charles and Jill Zaparyniuk were rescued from Plover Reef. When Jill was rescued two lives were saved. Her baby Bridgette was born three months after the accident.
Fisherman Ken Brown, one of the rescuers from Ahousaht, stood nearby with his wife Janey and their new baby daughter Lily.
Clarence Smith, who was fishing with Kenny Brown that day, said he’s stayed in touch with survivors Dirk and Christian Barchfield, brothers from Germany.
“They sent me gifts, a shirt and a poster,” said Smith, adding that it would be good to see them in happier circumstances.
Smith said he was grateful for the memorial, saying he thought it would make things a whole lot easier for the families.
As for safety changes in the past year, Smith recalls that somebody sent safety packages for boat operators to Ahousaht but by the time he went to get one they were all gone. An Ahousaht community member gave him a PFD (personal floatation device) that inflates and he’s grateful for that.
“Everything goes on as usual,” said Smith. “But we are more safety conscious; we use the VHF to tell people where we are and to check in.”
Dwayne Mazereeuw arrived at the memorial from Ahousaht, where he is taking part in the construction of a new skate board park.
Following the accident, Mazereeuw came across an article about a fundraising effort launched by Grant Schilling of Get on Board, a non-profit organization, to build a skate park in Ahousaht.
Mazereeuw happens to be a well-known skateboarder and he designs and builds skateboard parks for a living. Both Mazereeuw and his employer, New Line Skate, committed to help with the new park. It is their way of saying thank you to Ahousaht.
Mazereeuw and Schilling joined Ahousaht Deputy Chief Patti Campbell in Ahousaht on Monday, Oct. 24 for a quiet ground-breaking ceremony for the new skateboard park.
The project is expected to take a few weeks to complete and there will be a completion and opening ceremony in Ahousaht in the spring of 2017.
