arcner CAST leader, police wrangled over access io search site Bob Mackin News Reporter THE leader of a private group that searched for avalanche victim Rory Manning is happy the Ontario man’s body was found Monday. Bot ‘Tim MacFarlane said he’s unhappy with North Vancouver ROMP. Manning suffocated in a Jan. 27 avalanche on the popular Grouse Grind hiking trail just two days shy of his 25th birthday His body was found late Monday morning under tour feet of snow by a dog and a volunteer crew from North Shere Rescue. “Finally Rory is off the mountaa and the Mannings are on the read to closure and they can start to rebuild” said MacFarlane, a Canadian Coast Guard officer who runs the Abbottard-based Canadian Amphibious Search Team (CAST) in his spare time, He said the mission was successtil, even though CAST didi’'t discover Manning's body. That wasn't necessarily CAST" s goal to begin with, he added. “It's not to provide (the body) or go get it for them, Irs to assist them in any way possible. “Ifthac means getting more media aneation drawn fo adcase, so that more people saturate the area, we've accomplished thar, If it means getting conventional agencies back out te the area to continue their search, we've clearly done that.” MacFarlane said an Ontaria-based associate of CAST tacted Rory Manning's father, Dr. Bert Manning, a week after the tragedy. The Brampton, Ontario doctor spoke with MacFarlane on Feb. 2 and hired CAST for an -cundisclosed fee. M called North Vancouver RCMP the same day and later spoke with Insp. Keith Thorn. MacFarlane claimed Thorn told him, “I'll make your life miser- able.” “My phone rang off the hook and it was Insp. Thora saying if you even dare to go up there, Fl arrest you for obstruction of justice and trespass- ing,” MacFarlane said. “That to me was the most hurtful thing. We were simply there to help the family and this is the reaction we get.” Thorn could not be reached for comment Thursday before the News’ deadline. Bur North Vancouver RCMP Supt. Jamie Graham said it vas his decision to deny CAST access to the trail. “We were not going to put further searchers ia harm’s way because of the threat of avalanche ,” Graham said. Police have sole jurisdiction to search for mis«- ing people, Graham said. NSP is sanctioned by the Provincial Emergency Program and is the only group dispatched by North Vancouver RCMP to conduct mountain searches locaily, Graham said. CAST and its members risked being arrested if police orders to stay off the wail were disobeyed, Grahasn said. Warning signs and fences were erected after the aval patrolled the area. “We are 100% satistied with the quality of service we get from (NSR),” said Graham. “If anything, this has reconfirmed my view ¢ oeern CAST. CAST finally got a chance to search the area in mid-March after negotiations with the Greater Vancouver Regional District, which administers the public trail. “We searched from the last known position by probing the track leading into Currents a threat te local swimmers Kevin Gillies News Reporter BEWARE the riptide if you plan to swim in the sea off Ambleside Beach this summer. It has the strength to carry away unwary swimmers, says a rescue diver -who’s studying the riptide phenomenon around the Lower Mainland. “As a regular human you can’t fight it,” said Geofge Kirke, co-publisher of Diver magazine, who was floating in the Ambleside riptide Thursday to demon- strate its strength. Kirke said he has been caught in the outgoing flow anu was later washed up on a private West Vancouver beach. “Tt was pretty embarrassing,” he said. However Kirke was quick to note that the average swimmer wouldn’t have the same protection he had with his diving drysuit which kept him warm. “The reality is you don’t last very long (without a drysuit),” he said. “I think you’d be iucky to last an hour, in terms of hypothermia.” The riptide is created when water moving into the harbour gets caught on Ambleside’s outcrop, acFarlane DR. Bert Manning and daughter Clodagh arrive near Cleveland Dam after a helicopter trip to the Grouse Grind Wednesday afternoon. anche and police routinely at we will not work with the gully and we dug every tree well down to the ground,” he said. A network of trenches 70-feet long, 15-feet wide and 20-feet deep was made and probing with long metal poles began. During its searches and patrols, CAST was joined by members of the Seaforth Highlanders, Manning's URC fraternity brothers and various friends and family, MacFarlane said he knew the search was pro- gressing When a tube of military-issued peanut but- ter was found a month ago. He believes it belonged to Manning. MacFarlane said CAST came close to finding the body Sunday when the scent of a human body was detected near a waterfall. Lioubov, a golden retriev- er, furiously sniffed an area below the waterfall Monday. NSR member Don Jardine dug four feet to find Manning encased in three-inches of ice. CAST members went to the Grouse Grind Monday afternoon but were denied access to the site by Cpl. Denis Boucher. After the body was airlifted by helicopter, MacFarlane was escorted to the site where he left a bouquet of flowers and phoned Dr. Manning. MacFarlane wouldn’t comment on the amount Dr. Manning paid CAST. In previous interviews he said CAST only charged Dr. Manning for expenses. GVRD watershed manager Ken Juvik said the Grouse Grind remains closed. A meeting will be held carly nexe week with Grouse Mountain, RCMP, ing date. which then redirects the water back out along the shore. The riptide creates a series of back eddies that can pull swimmers out to sea if they’re not careful. “I’ve been sucked through about 140 feet, then I was blown out like a beached whale,” Kirke said. He and Ronald Giichrist, manufacturer of the Americat boat and a regular boater in the area, esti- mate the Ambleside riptide moves between four and six knots, depending on different factors. “T guess it depends on the time of the tide — how NEWS photo Terry Peters RESCUE diver George Kirke demonstrates the angle swim- mers should follow to get out of Ambleside-area riptide flows. GVRD and NSR officials to consider the trail’s condition and a possible reopen- Snow depth ranges from two to five metres. low, how high,” Gilchrist said Thursday as his boat drifted in waves created by the riptide’s clash with incoming water. Kirke said he expects the Ambleside riptide to be stronger this year because of the farge snowpack on the mountains. “It has an impact,” he said, referring to more water emptying into the ocean. Gilchrist said the additional water will give tides extra force, “As the flood (tide) comes in it will gét stronger and head into the beach,” Gilchrist said. “That can swamp little boats let alone drown swimmers.” By comparison, an Olympic swimmer moves around four knots in a 50-metre race. But, said Kirke, if you do end up caught in the riptide, “you don’r fight it.” Instead of swimming against the tide, he said, you “vector,” or swim on an angle with the current. Swimming against the tide or straight across it will tire a swim- mer out before he or she can reach the shore. A man and his son fishing in the Ambleside arca around 20 years ago were swept away by the riptide _ and both died. But Kirke said riptides are easy to spot. “If you just look for rips, you can see them,” he said. “It stirs up because water’s moving through it. Every rip is different.” Last month Kirke completed an underwater dive across the harbour entrance to survey sea life. ’ NEWS photo Brad Ledwidge RORY Manning's sister Clodagh (left) is conscted by Tim MacFarlane of the Canadian Amphibious Search Team on Wednesday. Manning's body was found Monday by North Shore Rescue volunteers and a dog. Contractor apologizes From page bour’s properties. Next, he said he was told they were removed to prevent further maintenance. This, said Sinclair, is also absurd. He said he can think of ne reason why the trees were removed or why he and his wife seem to have been sin- gled out. Just next door, simi- lar trees were left standing. Sinclair’s large file contains letter after letter from the ministry denying vesponsibili- ty for the action. “Maintenance is account- able and, in this matter, is responsible tor addressing the situation,” wrote Roanna Hall-Cruz, area manager for the Ministry of Transportation and Highways. To press time, she has nor returned phone calls. The Sinclairs want every- one to stop passing the buck and making excuses. Sinclair also says that he doesn’t care if the contractor is to blame, in his apinion, = Capilano Highway Services was work- ing for the ministry at the time and it is the ministry which should answer up, “It’s up to them to deal with their contractor,” he said. Capilano Highway Services general manger Steve Drummond admits that the tree were cut down by mis- take. “There was a discrepan- cy as to where the property line was,” he said. Drummond refused to say exactly who ordered the trees to be cut down, but said that the ministry of highways is aware of all of his company’s actions. “We've got an annual and preventative maintenance plan and its approved by the ministry,” he said. “They approved our work.” Drummond said that tree branches were encroaching on the highway property. He said that’s why the decision was made to cut down the trees. Said Drummond, “We apologize for inadvertently cutting down his trees, but we want to rectify the problem.”