A busy May for HMCS Nanaimo

HMCS Nanaimo has always had a strong presence throughout many communities along the coast of Vancouver Island. This May provided opportunities to further strengthen those ties in Nanaimo and Victoria.

Every year the City of Nanaimo celebrates Empire Days on the Victoria Day long weekend, a tradition that goes back 147 years, and includes the crowning of a May Queen to usher in the return of summer.

Nanaimo and crew joined the festivities again this year attending the crowning of the May Queen, marching in the Empire Days parade, and hosting tours of the ship to the citizens of her namesake city.

The end of the festival was marked by an on board reception with the ship’s company hosting the Empire Days Society, local politicians and the “Friends of Nanaimo”. Friends of Nanaimo are a group of loyal Nanaimo citizens that engage their namesake ship to ensure she is welcomed each time she visits while facilitating her participation in local activities.

Nanaimo also partook in the 71st annual Swiftsure Sailing Race in the Strait of Juan de Fuca May 24 and 25, providing a platform for members of the race committee and guests at the start line. Nanaimo signalled the start of each race using its saluting cannon while forming the seaward mark of the start line at Clover Point. Four members of the Race Committee remained embarked once all five race classes had commenced, while the remainder of the guests were disembarked at Ogden Point. The ship then proceeded to Swiftsure Bank to act as a rounding mark race while also providing standby search and rescue support.

Both of these events were successful from the standpoint of community engagement providing great opportunities for Nanaimo’s sailors to interact with the public and building community relations.

MS Daniel Robinson, HMCS Nanaimo