Starting the next deployment on the right note

Petty Officer First Class Paul Quin and Sailor First Class Syl Pike practise playing their guitars in the Chief and Petty Officers’ Mess aboard HMCS Ottawa. The two sailors have launched a program to provide musical instruments to sailors aboard ship during its upcoming deployment to the Indo-Pacific region. Photo: Peter Mallett/Lookout Newspaper.

Peter Mallett
Staff Writer

The halls of HMCS Ottawa will soon come alive with the sound of music.

The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) warship and crew are alongside in Dockyard these days, making final preparations for their Indo-Pacific deployment Operation (Op) Horizon later this summer.

As the crew stores the vessel with provisions, two of the ship’s members, Sailor First Class (S1) Syl Pike and Petty Officer First Class (PO1) Paul Quin, will bring a cache of musical instruments onboard. Both say the intention is to help ease the deployment blues and boost mental health.

“When you are at sea and on deployment, you are exercising the left hemisphere of your brain for 18-20 hours a day,” said PO1 Quin, the ship’s Electrical Manager. “The instruments will provide a chance to step back from the navy life during deployment, bring out the artistic side of your brain and add a little balance to your life.”

The idea is the brainchild of S1 Pike, a Radar Maintainer and Weapons Engineering Technician (WENGTECH) with Ottawa. He first came up with the idea of musical instruments for deployment in 2020 when he was a member of HMCS Winnipeg.

The program aboard the Winnipeg was an overwhelming success; as S1 Pike was reposted to Ottawa before the program took off, he never participated first-hand.

PO1 Paul Quin and S1 Syl Pike serenade PO1 Tailor Deen with their guitars as he works on his log book in the Chief and Petty Officer’s Mess aboard HMCS Ottawa. The two musical sailors have launched a program to provide instruments to sailors aboard the RCN ship during its upcoming deployment to the Indo-Pacific region. Credit: Peter Mallett/Lookout Newspaper.

“After that, I told myself wherever I am deployed I will try to bring instruments on board for other sailors to enjoy,” S1 Pike said. “For me and so many others, music helps us relax and provides another outlet to relieve the occupational-related stress and mental fatigue of deployments.”

Both sailors are lifelong musicians – S1 Pike is a singer, guitarist and piano player, and PO1 Quin leans towards guitar, bass and drums. Both had parents who served in Canada’s military and were also musicians.

“My father always kept instruments around the house while I and my brothers grew up in Dartmouth, N.S., and I see this as the inspiration for my idea to bring musical instruments on deployments,” said S1 Pike.

They purchased some of the instruments from a national music retailer, and the non-profit Guitars for Vets donated guitars to the ship following a conversation between PO1 Quin and Commander (Cdr) (ret’d) Garry Davis, a volunteer from its local chapter. Davis revealed they had a surplus of guitars in their inventory and agreed to donate them to the ship.

Their cache of musical equipment includes electric and acoustic guitars, amplifiers, microphones and a public address system, a drum kit, keyboard, and percussion instruments. Sailors who own musical instruments are encouraged to bring them along on deployment.

Anyone onboard can sign out an instrument, whether they are experienced musicians or just starting their musical journeys. S1 Pike and PO1 Quin will be happy to provide instruction and music lessons.

There is also the likelihood of jam sessions breaking out in the ships’ messes, the formation of bands and even a concert. Their musical initiative has the support of Cdr Sam Patchell, Ottawa’s Commanding Officer and a musician specializing in the keyboard.

“The only problem is our amps and guitars may create some unwanted noise,” said PO1 Quin. “So, just like teenagers jamming in their garage or rec rooms back in high school, we will always be mindful of any requests to turn the volume down.”