Acting Coast Guard head marks 25 years

Wednesday was quite special for this country’s Coastguard Commander (Acting), Brenton Cain, as he celebrated his 25th anniversary as an officer of the St.Vincent and the Grenadines Coastguard.{{more}}

Cain enlisted in the Coastguard on February 2, 1986, after teaching at the Barrouallie Anglican School for four years.Two other officers, Roy Robinson and Hyron Joseph, enlisted in the Coastguard at the same time as Cain, but they are no longer with the Coast Guard.

In 2009, Cain was appointed to act as Commander of the Coastguard, in the absence of Tyrone James, who is seconded to the Regional Security System in Barbados.

At present, Caine is working on his thesis to complete his Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies.

“During my career, my satisfaction came from saving a life at sea, when I conducted a successful search and rescue case. Also, being a part of the Youth Development Summer Programme due to its positive impact on the nation’s youths. Hailing from the fishing town of Barrouallie, I enjoy all aspects of the maritime environment,” said Cain to SEARCHLIGHT.

He said he endeavors to impart his knowledge and experience to the members of the Coastguard, in an attempt to make the Coastguard unit an effective maritime entity.

The day after he enlisted in the Coastguard, Cain was sent to Barbados to attend the Regional Coastguard Basic course conducted under the auspices of the RSS. Upon his return, he was placed in the Operations Department, which comprises Navigation and Seamanship. In July that same year, he was sent to the Canadian Coastguard College where he successfully took part in a Patrol Craft Crew Commander Course until November 1986.

In 1989, he completed a 26-week watch keeping Navigation Course at the Coastguard College in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.

These training courses kick started his career as a navigator in the Coastguard.

He also did various short courses during his junior years, including: Pollution Countermeasures – Canada; Maritime Law Enforcement – St.Vincent (conducted by the US Coastguard) and RSS Coastguard Leadership – Barbados.

In 1990, he was promoted from an Ordinary Seaman to Able-Bodied Seaman. That same year, he was seconded to the RSS for a month as an instructor on a RSS Basic Seamanship course.

By 1993, Cain completed, with supreme honours, a Patrol Craft Commander Course in Panama, conducted by the US Department of the Navy, and was named the Honour student on that course.

In order to become a Maritime Officer, one has to attend an officer training school. Cain did this training in 1996 at the United States Coastguard Officer Candidate School in York Town, Virginia.

During his career, he also served in Antigua at the RSS Training Unit on many occasions as an instructor in various maritime training courses. His longest stint was a secondment for two years, during which he served in the capacity of Training Officer in the Training Unit.

His career also saw him participating in several other training programmes, which served as part of his development. These programmes include: Port Security Officer, Incident Command System, Response to Maritime Violence, and also a 10-week Senior Security Officer Programme in Jamaica.

At the Coastguard, he coxswained the smaller vessels up to the point where he became the captain of the Coastguard’s largest vessel, the “Captain Mulzac”.

On this note, Cain said he has a special place in his heart for the “George Mc Intosh”, as he was the last captain to take it out of St.Vincent and the Grenadines before it was taken out of service. The last journey was to Trinidad and Tobago in 1991 for the Tradewinds Exercise.

The officers of the Coastguard wish Cain all the best as he celebrates his silver anniversary.