mrsswordfisherman Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 MARINE RESCUE NSW Media Release Date: July 24, 2014 Marine Rescue volunteers rescue seven in marathon operation In a marathon operation, a crew of volunteers from Marine Rescue Bermagui has rescued a group of five adults and two children stranded at sea when their large cruiser ran out of fuel off the Continental Shelf today. The crew is now on its way back to Bermagui Harbour with the vessel under tow, expecting to reach shore about 10pm due to increasing wind and choppy seas. Acting Monaro Regional Controller Glenn Sullivan said the operation would take more than 10 hours to complete, given the distance the rescue crew had to travel to reach the fishing boat and return it to safety. “This vessel was trawling a long way offshore. This would be one of the longest operations, over the largest distance, that our crews have mounted in this region,” Mr Sullivan said. The skipper of the 10 metre Bertram flybridge cruiser alerted the Marine Rescue Bermagui unit at 10.51am that he had run out of fuel while trawling more than 34 nautical miles (about 63 km) offshore, on the edge of the Shelf. The NSW Police Force Marine Area Command at Eden subsequently tasked the unit to respond in the prevailing conditions. “The crew, Steven Angelo, Ray McLeod, Mark Donnelly and Caron Parfitt, was quickly summoned and had Bermagui 30, the unit’s 38-foot Steber, under way by 11:50am,” Mr Sullivan said. “Thankfully, the conditions we endured last week have abated and the crew was able to make good speed, travelling at 21 knots. “They located the vessel at its last known position and took it under tow for the long trip home, which will necessarily be much slower at only 5 knots, towing a vessel of this cruiser’s size. “This operation is a timely reminder for all boaters that it is vital to always ensure that they have sufficient fuel on board for their planned journey on the water, especially for lengthy journeys offshore. “It’s not as if you can pull into a service station and refuel when you’re out at sea so someone will need to come to your rescue if you find yourself stranded. “This boater is fortunate that Marine Rescue NSW has the skilled and experienced volunteers and the modern and reliable vessels and technology vital to undertake rescue operations on this scale. “This was a long and demanding job well done and the crew deserves congratulations and thanks for their efforts.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tassjo Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 I know I might get hammered for my comments but some times the truth hurts.I did my truck licence about 10 years ago & 1 of the multiple answer ? was what you should check before entering a freeway, I put tyres but the correct answer was fuel. Apparently lots of drivers run out,i have always said to friends if you get towed back cause you ran out of fuel you should pay,marine rescue have put themselves at risk while the other party are out having a good time fishing ,maybe next time the skipper should fill the boat up before heading out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquidMarks Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Without sounds too rude, these guys dont deserve to own a cruiser let alone go out that far. Surely you always keep an eye out on your fuel supply when your going ANYWHERE, let alone to the edge of the shelf! On another note, why didnt the rescue boat bring along some diesel and top them up (can cruisers prime the pumps/engines manually like cars?) would have been home by now, rather than towing it back at 5 knots... Still, Gotta thank the VOLUNTEERS for putting in the great effort and helping another boatie out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike2153 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 That's just stupid, how do you run out of fuel on a journey that far out? If you don't know how much fuel your boats uses take some spare fuel and carefully monitor your trip the weather and fuel usage. Pretty simple stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robroy Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 It looks like they ran out of fuel on the way out! Regards Bob & Robbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aussie007 Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 gotta give the marine rescue a thumbs up 1 hour to get prepped and on the job thats awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oziodin Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 I take my Hat of for the Marine Rescue they do a Great Job ,just been up in Harrington/Crowdy Head you couldn't find/meet any nicer People . Cheers Oziodin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggs Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 can call them idiots i guess but everyone here has made a mistake while boating bungs out anchor left down whatever i was out that day and the weather was good so i opened it up a little more but used almost double my normal amount of fuel as the conditions were so goodcould have easily gone bad for me too if i wasnt watching the fuel guage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Seems incredible... do we know the whole story? Faulty fuel gauge? New boat owner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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