HMCS Regina off to Arabian Sea
For Jason Boyd, stepping aboard HMCS Regina was a homecoming of sorts.
That’s Commander Boyd, the Regina-born captain of the Royal Canadian Navy’s frigate that’s currently on its way to the Arabian Sea as part of Operation Artemis, Canada’s contribution to a multinational counter-terrorism mission.
From a mess hall called Bushwakker (like the local brew pub) to the RCMP decals that adorn the ship, HMCS Regina has plenty of tangible links to its namesake city. But in May when Boyd took over command, the ship’s captain — the son of a Mountie, no less — could boast the same.
“It felt great,” he said in a recent telephone interview from the ship. He told the commodore that if he could choose from any of the 12 frigates in the fleet, Regina would be his first choice.
“They always seem to pick a francophone to be in command of Ville de Quebec, so I thought it was only fair that they pick a prairie boy to command Regina.”
Those prairie roots reach far across this province. At the time of Boyd’s birth in Regina, his father was posted to the RCMP detachment in North Battleford. Growing up, Boyd called several Saskatchewan communities home, including Broadview, Saskatoon, Swift Current and Rosetown. In town rinks, he honed his hockey skills — and eventually skated his way into the navy.
Boyd was playing senior hockey in Newfoundland, after his family left Saskatchewan, when he was recruited by the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont. to play hockey. He was faced with a choice of army, navy or air force.
“I didn’t even know we had a navy when I was living in Saskatchewan,” he laughed.
His first choice was actually pilot — “because that seemed kind of cool” — but he failed miserably in the flight simulator. It was the navy’s gain.
With five moves in seven years from coast to coast, he’s made a point of stopping in Saskatchewan dur- ing those travels given that his parents and sisters reside in Rosetown.
He spent the last two years as second in command aboard HMCS Ottawa, before taking on the top job on Regina.
His cabin is full of Rider gear, and he’s not the only one.
“We have lots of crew members from Saskatchewan on board. The easy way to tell is because anytime there’s a Rider game, there are people walking around with Rider mugs and talking about the game.”
Hailing from a landlocked province, it seems an unlikely fit. But Boyd disagrees. “It’s been said ... prairie folks make the best sailors cause we’re hardworking, and we’re used to big, wide open spaces.”
Boyd had hoped to catch a Rider game in person since the ships’ captains usually visit their name city. But time didn’t permit it with preparations for Operation Artemis.
The Halifax-class frigate left its home port in Esquimalt, B.C., last week and will reach the Arabian Sea in about six weeks. To allow for maximum fuel efficiency, the ship usually travels only about 13 miles an hour, although it can go faster. Much like any summer road trip, there are also planned stops along the way — in Hawaii, Guam and Singapore — for refuelling, food, and supplies for the 250 people on board.
Boyd said the crew is anxious to put their training into practice. One of his biggest challenges was sorting out who to leave behind. “There’s a line of people that want to do this trip.” That’s despite the personal sacrifices. Having just returned from sea in October, and now departing again, Boyd admitted he has plenty of making up to do with his wife Deborah and their eightyear-old daughter Grace and 11-year-old son Taylor upon his return.
Regina is to remain in the Arabian Gulf for about eight months, replacing HMCS Charlottetown.