Daphne Search & Rescue marked a milestone this week, formally christening and naming the newest boat in its fleet during a ceremony at Five Rivers Delta.
The 28-foot Scully vessel was christened by Kristin Koppen of Impact 100, the all-women’s giving circle that helped fund the boat’s purchase. The christening served as both a celebration of the new equipment and a tribute to Impact 100’s ongoing support of the volunteer rescue organization.
“They are an amazing team. I am honored to work with them. Can’t tell you how important it is that they do what they do for our area. We are so blessed to have them,” Koppen said.
Daphne Search & Rescue’s ability to respond to emergencies on the water owes much to Impact 100, whose members vote each year to direct pooled donations toward local nonprofit projects. In recognition of that support and the two groups’ shared mission, the vessel was given a name meant to reflect both: “Impact.”
“The name was a surprise! We are thrilled. We want to make an impact in our community — that’s what our organization is all about — supporting these non-profits. Obviously, this is going to make an impact in the work that they do, and it’s such an honor and a privilege to help support them,” said Sandy Stepan, Impact 100’s president.
This isn’t the first time Impact 100 has backed Daphne Search & Rescue’s work. Back in 2015, the group funded the organization’s first sonar unit, a purchase that helped Daphne Search & Rescue stand up its Advanced Sonar Team. The new boat, which the crew has already had in service for roughly a year, builds on that investment. It has already been used in emergency responses, including the search earlier this month for missing teenagers in Greene County.
Captain Joshua Gibbs of Daphne Search & Rescue said the vessel’s design gives crews capabilities they didn’t have before.
“One thing that this does it has the ability to make us more effective in our job. It’s an enclosed cabin — so it’s got an air conditioner, it’s got heat. Waves crash over the front of the boat — it doesn’t affect the operators inside. The sonar system we have on the back actually has a hydraulic gantry — that extends out and shuffles back in to where we don’t even have to get out to launch or pull it in,” Gibbs explained.
The boat, now valued at more than $160,000 before factoring in its sonar equipment, is expected to be a significant asset as the organization works to live up to its motto, “Bringing Home the Lost.”
“So we’re able to have discrimination here in the water to see what is on the bottom at a level that a lot of other units and teams don’t have and that’s a game-changer when you are looking for something lost in the water,” Gibbs said.
Daphne Search & Rescue also thanked the Alabama Association of Rescue Squads and several local vendors for their help outfitting the Impact.
Daphne Search & Rescue is one of several volunteer search-and-rescue organizations serving Baldwin County waterways, working alongside law enforcement and the U.S. Coast Guard on water emergencies across Mobile Bay and the surrounding delta system. The addition of a purpose-built, sonar-equipped vessel is expected to improve response times and search capability for years to come.