Coastal Missions was conceived in late 1979.  A Steering Committee began immediately preparing documents. The Mission emerged as a limited corporate society (Coastal Missions Society) May 7, 1980.  Besides directors and decision-making members, the organization began with eight full-time workers.  All had been pitching in whole-heartedly prior to incorporation - George Loewen, Brian Burkholder, Roy Getman, Ron and Joan McKee, Anne Spencer, Debbie Forney, and Gloria Troll.  There were no appeals for money whatsoever then (or now) yet a a flow of donations came in to cover the needs as they developed. 

In January 1980 before Coastal Missions was officially recognized as a bona fide Society, a collection of $348 (which was a lot of money in those days) came from people living in the fishing village of Bamfield.  Also in January, a home was rented in Chemainus to serve as the first mission base - rental fee $350.  Donations (some very large amounts) began to come in, again, without appeal.  A former government vessel, the D. M. MacKay, suited for year-around operation, was purchased February 29 and named Coastal Messenger.  That ship was readied and commissioned into service in Victoria's Inner Harbour on June 1.  She set out immediately to places on the British Columbia coast, into southeastern Alaska, and then as far south as Tacoma.  While the Coastal Messenger continued with alternating crews, land teams went to Bamfield, Quadra Island, Cortez Island, Texada Island, and Coos Bay, Oregon.

Missionary work continued in 1981.  Coastal Missions was better supported during July in the middle of a mail strike than any other month that year.  Donations were hand-delivered.  Coastal Missions was in desperate need of a good work skiff for reaching out from the deck of the Coastal Messenger.  Percy Wills in his quaint way prayed, "Lord, we know you have a Zodiac up your sleeve somewhere."  Soon a gift designated for that very thing was delivered - more than enough money to buy a new Zodiac inflatable craft and a 20 hp outboard motor. The Coastal Messenger was upgraded with carpets, curtains, new pilot house seats, pilot house instrumentation, a 110VAC generator,  7-cubic foot freezer, spare propeller, and new deck boxes.  Tom Maxie joined the team that year. 

In 1982 a used van was purchased for crew changes and for land follow up travels.  Two additional bilge pumping systems, a fire fighting system, and a new depth sounder were added to the vessel.  Tom Maxie and Debbie Forney were married on December 20. 

In mission work, you never know what makes people respond.  There are seemingly endless stories of lives that were touched or changed.  One had an unusual twist.  Due to excruciating pain in Roy's shoulder, his crew made an unscheduled side trip to a remote hot spring at Bishop Bay.  While there, the crew met several fellows on a sport fishing outing.  Months later one of them wrote to say that the prayer offered by Roy at mealtime profoundly influenced him; he accepted Christ as his Savior. 

Brian Burkholder and Anne Spencer were married on February 12, 1983.  Brian's crew included women for the first time.  The ministry was greatly enhanced.  

The property that had been rented to serve as a mission base was sold.  By this time, a place had been rented for Brian and Anne Burkholder and another for Tom and Debbie Maxie.  Although crowded, the Getman home was used as a mission base and home for the remaining workers.  That arrangement served for the next few years.  

The Coastal Messenger was fitted with a tripod mast and west coast stabilizers in 1983 (eliminating perhaps 70 percent rolling in a seaway).  

Pictured here is the inflatable Zodiac returning to the waiting vessel off Cape St James (southern tip of the Queen Charlotte Islands).  Note the stabilizer poles are out.  Delta-shaped paravane stabilizers hang a few fathoms below the surface.

In 1984 ministry was extended to include the outer coast of Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska. 

A particularly good photo of the Coastal Messenger was taken by a light keeper and was made into a postcard.  Thousands of post cards were given away over the next years.  

A better anchor winch and autopilot were added to the Coastal Messenger.  The first funeral service (committal of ashes to the sea) was conducted from the vessel. 

In 1985 a sizable house on waterfront property was purchased to serve as a mission base.  Space was prepared in the Getman basement, only a short distance away, to serve as a mission office.  That year Brian and Roy attended welding classes.  Vacuum toilets and two additional water tanks were installed in the Coastal Messenger. The aft cabin was renovated with proper seating and storage.

Computers were first introduced into the work of Coastal Missions in 1986.  

Directors, in discussion of a ten-year plan, spoke of building a steel vessel to replace the wooden one.  Every year with Coastal Missions is busy.  During one stretch Coastal Missions attended and/or took part in seven funerals in a six-week period.  A keel cooling system and a Loran receiver were added to the Coastal Messenger.  

In 1987, the normal circuit of the vessel was shortened in order to install a four-cylinder supercharged Rolls Royce diesel donated by a nearby vocational school.  This engine nicely replaced the six-cylinder natural aspirated Rolls Royce marine diesel that had gone into the vessel when it was built in 1959. The ship carried on in September.  

As a P.S., that old six-cylinder Rolls Royce was rebuilt in the Coastal Missions shop and later installed in the new vessel and finally retired after seven more years service in 2005. 

In 1988, Ken Plumbly, Florence Reimer, Jon and Lisa Peterson (with sons Josh and Andy) became involved as workers.  George Loewen retired.  Survival suits were donated and placed aboard the vessel. That summer was especially stormy.  It was noted that bad weather often provided special opportunities for the gospel.  

John Sears, Coastal Missions treasurer, died in 1989.  The Jon Peterson family returned to the U.S. The Coastal Messenger continued on its year around schedule with time out as scheduled for maintenance.  An extra seat was added in the pilot house.  Sound insulation was installed using felt, rubber, and lead sheeting.  That year, and although no appeal had been made and little had been mentioned to anyone outside Coastal Missions, a large donation of money was received designated for construction of a new vessel.

In 1990, free spaghetti dinners were served in five different communities on Vancouver Island in appreciation of friends and supporters.  Meanwhile, the Coastal Messenger carried on while adding an Open Boat at the Maritime Museum in Vancouver in April.  More than 150 people came to visit.  A few days later, a celebration was held in the Inner Harbour of Victoria to mark the 10th anniversary of the Coastal Messenger's ministry.  

That year (by then more had been said about plans to build a new mission vessel), two Christian businessmen in Calgary, Alberta, indicated a desire to help with aluminum fabrications, should it be that aluminum would be used for any part of the vessel.  That later became a reality when  the aluminum pilothouse was built in Calgary AB without cost to Coastal Missions.

Pioneer coastal missionary Percy Wills died in 1990. 

The Coastal Messenger carried on as usual in 1991.  During her maintenance period she received new carpets and upholstery (always worn out after each 3 or 4 years of rigorous use).  The exterior hull, starboard side, was stripped and repainted.  Engine room, forward cabin and forward head were prepared and painted.  Florence Reimer left the work of Coastal Missions to carry on with other things.

Shop construction began on the base property February 1992.  Photo Shop Construction.  Also in 1992, Roy Getman, Brian Burkholder, Joan McKee, and Tom Maxie somehow managed to attend evening navigation classes at Camosun College in Victoria during the annual vessel maintenance period and fit into their respective voyage schedules too.  

In July that year the on-duty crew of the Coastal Messenger left the ship in Prince Rupert in the care of the Canadian Coast Guard when it was learned that Ron McKee's mother was dying in Victoria.  She died August 7.  Normal activity resumed when the other crew came aboard according to schedule. 

A quality drafting table was purchased in 1992 to assist Roy Getman's design of the new mission vessel.  

Ken Plumbly left full-time involvement with Coastal Missions in October and has continued, now with his wife Penny, as part of the decision-making membership.

A substantial gift of money was given to Coastal Missions in 1993.  A new 15-passenger Ford van was purchased.  This was the last year of missionary service for the wooden vessel.  Both crews went aboard at one point for a 10-day stint into areas adjacent Johnstone Strait - a trip to say good bye to many for the time Coastal Missions would be building a new ship.  This was the first and only time both crews voyaged together.  

The new shop on the base property was completed.  Many valuable tools were given by a man on Lopez Island to equip it.