New Crowdy Harrington offshore rescue vessel an investment in safety

[mrsswordfisherman]

MARINE RESCUE NSW
Media Release

Date: June 24, 2015

New Crowdy Harrington offshore rescue vessel an investment in safety

A new Marine Rescue NSW offshore rescue vessel will be officially commissioned at Crowdy Harrington on Saturday 27 June, representing a $370,000 investment in boating safety on the NSW Mid North Coast.

Crowdy 30 is one of two identical new vessels to be welcomed to the Marine Rescue NSW fleet on the Mid North Coast this weekend.

Marine Rescue Coffs Harbour and Marine Rescue Crowdy Harrington both took delivery of new 9.5m Naiad Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats in late 2014. Coffs 30 will be commissioned on Sunday.

Leslie Williams (State Member for Port Macquarie), David Gillespie (Federal MP for Lyne), David West (Deputy Mayor Greater Taree City Council), MRNSW Commissioner Stacey Tannos and Crowdy Harrington Unit Commander Keith Richardson will join guests and unit members for the commissioning ceremony at 10am on Saturday at Crowdy Head Harbour.

Commissioner Tannos said the new vessels were a significant boost in the capability of marine search and rescue volunteers on the Mid North Coast.

“These state-of-the-art vessels, which are able to travel up to 30 nautical miles offshore, further strengthen Marine Rescue’s strategic search and rescue safety net covering the NSW coastline,” he said.

“They are among 61 new and refurbished vessels delivered to date in our $14.3 million fleet modernisation program. Built by Yamba Welding and Engineering, they also are a valuable investment in local business and jobs in Northern NSW.”

MR Crowdy Harrington Unit Commander Keith Richardson said Crowdy 30, the unit’s primary offshore rescue vessel, represented a major advance in the unit’s capability.

“This new boat is our primary offshore rescue vessel, joining Crowdy 20, a 6.5m Naiad RHIB, which provides a rapid response to incidents on the Manning River and assists us in our training program,” UC Richardson said.

“Crowdy 30 is a tremendous boost to our resources, giving us greater range, power and towing capacity, especially when we’re responding offshore. It’s a powerful, stable and safe vessel for our volunteers, so our crews can respond more efficiently than ever to help boaters in trouble.”

Both new Mid North Coast boats are powered by twin 250hp Suzuki engines and can reach speeds above 40 knots (74 km/h). They carry a range of specialised search and rescue navigation, communications and first aid equipment.

UC Richardson thanked the local community and visiting boaters for supporting the volunteers’ fundraising efforts.

Commissioner Tannos acknowledged the vital support of the State Government and the boating community for Marine Rescue’s essential services.

“The financial support we receive from the Government and through the levy on boaters’ registration and licence fees represents about 50 per cent of the annual budget we need to provide NSW with a world-class marine search and rescue, radio network and education service for safer boating.

“Even with this funding support, as a community-based organisation, we still need to rely on our volunteers’ energetic fundraising.

“I thank the residents of the Crowdy, Harrington, Taree and the wider Manning Valley community, as well as the many visitors to the area, for their generosity towards the unit,” he said.

Boaters heading out on the water should remember to Log On and Log Off with MRNSW using their marine radio, telephone or the MarineRescue mobile app, suitable for Apple and Android devices and available on the App Store and Google play.

[Guest Force3]

A stunning morning for the commissioning of Crowdy 30, with glorious sunshine, no wind and the beautiful backdrop of Crowdy harbour and Crowdy Bay. This fully equipped new boat has the capability to operate up to 30NM offshore and has all of the latest electronics for search and rescue operations, including a cardiac defibrillator and oxygen therapy equipment with fully qualified first aid people.

As noted in the post above, please ensure you "log on" and "log off" when going out, it may just save your life one day. It is amazing to know the number of boats going out from the harbour and how few actually log on. If you need help and we don't know when to start looking or where to look for you it makes it much more difficult to find you.