These are more than statistics. Behind every mission could be a person injured, stranded or facing a medical emergency at sea, and behind every response are volunteers who have trained so they can act when those critical moments arrive.
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Phil Aspinall’s life of service extends far beyond VISAR. A former Royal Air Force serviceman who completed 17 years in the military, he was awarded an MBE in 2009. During our meeting, Phil personally shared with me evidence and treasured memorabilia documenting his meeting with Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, alongside recognition he received around the Royal Jubilees. Seeing that history first-hand reinforced what became clear throughout our conversation: his extraordinary commitment to service, protecting others and helping ensure people are brought safely home. |
VISAR operates bases at Road Reef Marina on Tortola and Virgin Gorda Yacht Harbour. Its rescue vessels are equipped with medical, vessel-safety, search-and-rescue and communications equipment, while coordinators handle emergency calls around the clock.
Keeping that capability alive requires continuous funding. Rescue vessels must be maintained, equipment must be available and volunteers must receive the training needed to respond effectively and safely. Since 2014, VISAR says its crews, trainees and coordinators have given tens of thousands of hours of their personal time to training, meetings and saving lives at sea.
This is where my conversation with Phil became especially important. His passion made clear to me the responsibility that comes with every donation and the importance of ensuring that money given by the public supports the core mission of keeping VISAR capable of saving lives.
For donors, that makes Winter Wonderland far more than another Christmas attraction. A $10 skating session may provide half an hour of festive fun, but collectively those donations help support an emergency service that could later be called upon during one of the most frightening moments of somebody's life.
The importance of VISAR is amplified by the geography of the British Virgin Islands, where the sea is central to life, travel, tourism and recreation. Residents, sailors, boaters and visitors all share those waters, making a dependable maritime rescue capability critically important.
VISAR traces its formal history to 1988, when advisers from the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommended the creation of an autonomous, dedicated volunteer maritime search-and-rescue operation. It subsequently became a non-profit organisation modelled on Britain's Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
What stayed with me after walking through Scarborough with Phil and meeting his family was the human reality behind the organisation. Search and rescue is not simply about boats or equipment. It is about people willing to make themselves available when complete strangers may be having the worst day of their lives.
It takes dedication to answer that call, training to know what to do when you arrive, families willing to accept the sacrifices involved and donors prepared to help provide the financial foundation that keeps the entire operation moving.
That is why Winter Wonderland deserves to be seen differently. Families, friends, visitors and businesses are not simply supporting a skating attraction. They are contributing to the continued readiness of a service whose volunteers may one day be called upon to help save a life.
When the Christmas lights come down and the skating rink eventually closes, VISAR’s responsibility continues. The sea does not stop producing emergencies because Christmas is over. The telephone can still ring, a vessel can still get into difficulty and another family can still find themselves desperately hoping that somebody is ready to respond.
That is ultimately what I took away from meeting Phil and his family. Behind every rescue service are human beings making sacrifices most of us will never see, and behind every donation is another contribution towards keeping those people trained, equipped and ready.
Winter Wonderland may begin with a pair of skates at Tortola Pier Park, but its true purpose reaches far beyond the rink. This Christmas, 30 minutes of festive fun could help keep VISAR ready for the moment somebody desperately needs to be brought safely home.
