While many watercraft users are keen to head to the boat ramp this spring, there’s a team of dedicated volunteers at Marine Rescue NSW who have been busy preparing for the season ahead. Tamara Spray went out on the water to see their training first-hand.
Guy Eilbeck was on the trip of a lifetime, sailing the Caribbean Sea with his wife and two young sons on a Lagoon 400 catamaran, when he ran into trouble. The family, who now live on Scotland Island, were sailing near Guadeloupe in the West Indies when they lost both of their rudders. “Boats aren’t made to steer without rudders,” Guy explains. He put a pan-pan, an international distress signal which is less urgent than a mayday signal, out to the French Coast Guard.
“They weren’t very helpful,” Guy says. “It was actually another boat that was crossing which heard the radio call, dropped their sails and boated across to assist us.”
On returning to Australia, Guy made the decision to join Marine Rescue NSW (MR), a volunteer organisation which helps to save lives on the water. “They don’t really have that in many other countries,” Guy explains. “For me, it’s a chance to give back to the community and help people who get stuck on the water – like the help we could have used when we (ran into trouble).”
There are 3,600 MR volunteers across the state, who completed 268 missions in June this year alone. Of those missions, 112 were emergency responses, with volunteers safely returning 487 people to shore.
Guy is one of six crew I met from MR Broken Bay, located in Bayview.
The Middle Harbour unit at The Spit in Mosman, which moved into its new $3.8 million headquarters in May last year, is one of two units on Sydney Harbour.
Belrose is home to Marine Rescue Sydney, which is the state communications centre where 100 volunteers operate around-the-clock radio coverage for watercraft in the Greater Sydney Area and along the NSW Coast.
Steph Minshall is a watch officer at the Belrose base, which monitors boating traffic and responds to requests for help by contacting boat crews, such as the Broken Bay unit, to assist. “It’s all about making sure that we can rescue people as fast as possible,” Steph says.
The Marine Rescue app allows boaties to log on when they go out on the water, and log off when they return, Steph explains. “And if we think that they are overdue (to return), then MR can send some people to go out and look for them,” she says.
The crew perform a ‘man overboard’ procedure with a life-size mannequin
Winter is the time to practice towing drills
Steph lives in Killarney Heights and is also a deputy unit commander at the Broken Bay unit. “MR plays a vital role in providing fast support when boaters experience issues. We have rescue class vessels that can render urgent assistance as needed, when minutes really count,” she says.
For 15 years, Mona Vale local Mike Charlton has been part of Broken Bay, working his way up to unit commander. He runs a crew of volunteers across two rescue boats, Broken Bay 30 (BB30), a 10.5m purpose-built Naiad, and the Broken Bay 21 (BB21) ‘Bungaree,’ a 7.5m walkthrough Naiad.
Mike oversees 102 volunteers, who contribute around 12 to 15 hours a month to MR, usually over one weekend every five weeks, and says their mission is clear: “We save lives on the water.”
“We’re there as a safety net for the community,” he explains. “If they get into trouble, they can call us.”
The Broken Bay unit spends the slower winter season training and preparing for the busier warmer months ahead. When NL visits the BB30 on one weekend alone, there are six crew on board with a total of 44 years of MR experience between them.
Together the team runs through drills, in conjunction with a fellow crew onboard the BB21, simulating a ‘man-overboard’ situation with ‘Bob,’ an orange-clothed mannequin the size and weight of a grown man. The team quickly move into action, retrieving Bob from the water with practiced precision, and pulling him onboard for CPR.
They also do a towing drill, tending to a broken-down boat. The crew expertly throw a rope to the stranded boat, and then tow it from behind, back to the nearest mooring.
A drill where a boat is brought side-by-side in the water and safely tethered to the marine rescue vessel is also put into action.
The camaraderie and skill of the team is impressive – with all members rotating to monitor the radio and navigation equipment.
Mike explains that all boat crew volunteers undergo six-weeks of training, which covers first-aid, seas survival, firefighting, radio operation and collision regulations. “And then there are a lot of the procedures we have in Marine Rescue. So that includes the man-overboard process, fire onboard a vessel and how to abandon ship – so we do a lot of that training,” he says.
Terry Stewart and Guy work as a team to locate a ‘man overboard’’
The BB21 in action
Thankfully, Mike says, they don’t get a man overboard ‘all that often,’ but they do a lot of towing. “It’s a result of (boaties) either running out of fuel, having a flat battery or older fuel,” he says, adding that engine trouble is also often a factor. “We have people that may need medical assistance, and that’s where we really put our skills and training into effect.”
The crew also help with events, like the New Years Eve fireworks, and can assist with search and rescue. They also educate fellow boaties about their vessels and help them to understand the unique parts of Pittwater and Broken Bay.
As a not-for-profit organisation which receives some funding from the State Government, Mike says the unit relies heavily on donations, with the costs of maintaining and fuelling the boats coming in at around $60,000 a year, of which only 20% is funded by head office. So volunteers can often be seen selling meat raffle tickets and holding sausage sizzles. “We do rely on the community to keep us on the water,” Mike explains. “If we don’t have that support, it becomes very difficult for us to get out there.”
He encourages locals to join the MR volunteers, adding that you don’t need boating experience. Volunteers are also needed to help with administration, fundraising and at the state communications centre.
“We all come from different careers and different parts of our lives,” Mike says. “For me it’s all about the camaraderie… and giving back to the community.”
BOAT READY TIPS
- Check your boat engine and battery before going out. Have your boat serviced after winter
- Empty stale fuel from the tank. Use clean fuel only
- Have a checklist to ensure you have all the required safety equipment
- Always wear a lifejacket and get it serviced regularly
- Check the weather conditions before heading out
- Use the MarineRescue app to log on every time you go out and log off on return
- If you run into trouble on the water, radio Channel 16 on VHF for help
- Remember to keep a 100m distance from whales, 300m if there are calves