Yesterday we took you to the battleground to see soldiers participating in the 2007 Trade Winds Exercise at Price Barracks in Ladyville. But that's only part of the story because the Trade Winds Exercise has the participation of well over 500 soldiers from 14 Caribbean countries. And it is more than just field training, there are also Maritime Operations. Our team accompanied them today.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Today we are heading to sea to train with the Coast Guard. It is going to be a bumpy ride. A bumpy ride indeed since they actually put me behind the wheels of this 35 foot skiff powered by two 250 horsepower engines. But fun aside the crew from the Belize Coast Guard are out here on training as part of the Trade Winds exercise. Today's lesson was "man overboard." And the mission was to rescue him.
[Video of Rescue]
That was a successful rescue and it's a lesson well taught to Petty Officer Class 2 Kirk Hyde who has been with the Belize Coast Guard for 2 years and with the BDF for 7 years prior to that.
Kirk Hyde, Belize Coast Guard
"The man overboard it can be very tricky because you see when you go on that steep turn, you can also throw over another person so the captain has to be cautious of what he is doing."
And that's the reason for Trade Winds. Petty Officer Hyde and these other members of the Coast Guard, including Petty Officer Eric Lawrence from Belize - are working under the guidance of Eric Voisine from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Eric Voisine, U.S. Coast Guard
"I believe its very important to have these skills for different jobs that they might be doing out there. It really heightens their safety when they are out there on the water and like I said during the various jobs."
And one of those various jobs is rebuilding boat engines. That's what these personnel from been dutifully at Coast Guard's base in Ladyville. This is one
of the few courses in trade winds being taught by a Belizean. Chief Ray Good is the instructor.
Chief Ray Good, Belize Coast Guard
"We are actually preparing these engines. They get to rebuild these engines and put them back. We learn how to troubleshoot them and learn how to actually prepare these engines for back home when they go back to their country. Most of them came with little or no knowledge of how to repair these engines. Some of them have hands on back home but a lot of them don't understand the theoretical part."
Trade Winds continues over the weekend and closes on May 16th.
