Tags: Voluntary Marine rescue. Bribie Island. Brisbane. Boating safety Tips and advice.
APRIL 2018 @ VMRBI BRIBIE ONE SEA PEN
VMRBI recently purchased a sea pen, similar to that of Bribie Two, to reduce maintenance costs for de-fouling the hull and damage against the pontoon for our prime rescue vessel. Photos below show a bit of fun was also had by those involved!
Featured Image(above): L to R VMR Bribie Vice Commodore Liz Radajewski, Bribie Island Bowls Club Treasurer Kerry Muller, VMR Senior Coxswain Bob Skinner, Bribie Island Bowls Club General Manager Kevin Bertwistle and VMR Commodore Nathan Gundry under the new Bribie Island Bowls Club. sponsorship signs on the VMR gangway. Picture Peter McNamara.
SUNSET DRINKS
Friday 23rd March 2018 Over 100 members and guests attended with the Social Committee serving up 85 delicious hamburger meals for just $5. The usual raffles were conducted, the first prize a ham was won by Joan Nicholls and second prize a bottle of wine with Easter chocolates was won by Bec Gibb. Once again Trevor Botham provided music and vocals for the evening.
BRISBANE to GLADSTONE YACHT RACE Good Friday –
Bribie 1 assisted VMR Brisbane and Redcliffe Coast Guard to maintain a clear track for the vessels in the traditional Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race on Good Friday.
YEARLY RADIO ROOM STATISTICS To 22nd APRIL 2018
3923 Calls, 1098 vessels logged on, 95 Vessel Assists, 433 Sitreps, 210 Requests, 33 Overdue vessels, 6 Vessel Tracking, 5 Securite Broadcasts. VHF calls 77.1%, – 27MHz calls 10.1%
APRIL VESSEL ASSISTS:
- SUN 01/04 0736am – 2.75m Tender (reported stolen), for vessel moored in front of Sandstone Point Hotel, tender was recovered from beach next to Bridge less new outboard motor.
- SUN 01/04 1625pm – 6.4m ½ Cabin member, motor not cooling, required tow from Caboolture River 4th marker to Bellara Ramp.
- MON 02/04 1157am – Tinny over-turned off Turners Camp, required re-floating and tow to Turners Camp Ramp.
- MON 02/04 1328pm – 9m Full Cabin member with broken hose, required tow from White Patch to Pacific Harbour.
- MON 02/04 1522pm – 2 Jet Skis stuck on bank near Avon Wreck, required tow to Bellara Ramp later at high tide, completed 2119pm.
- TUE 03/04 1045am – 6.5m ½ Cabin nonmember with flat batteries required jump start at Bulwer
- SAT 07/04 1055am – Dinghy non-member tied to 3rd green marker at Whitepatch no POB. Water Police requested us to investigate, relayed rego to them owner was out of fuel and OK.
- SUN 08/04 0705am – 3m Jet Ski member with motor problems, required a tow from Red Beach to Bellara Ramp.
- SUN 08/04 0834am – 4.5m ½ Cabin, member with motor problems required a tow from Donnybrook to Bellara Ramp.
- MON 09/04 1033am – Assisted water Police with SAR at North Point Moreton Island, over-turned vessel, person was rescued by helicopter.
- TUE 10/04 1135am – 7.3m Sailing Yacht nonmember aground mid channel Toorbul/White Patch required resecuring near Spinnaker Sound.
- WED 11/04 0904am – Pontoon drifting 250m South of Bribie Bridge, recovered to Base.
- FRI 13/04 0915 – 4m Catamaran nonmember becalmed in Shipping Channel overnight requiring tow to Spinnaker Sound Marina.
- FRI 13/04 0915 – 4.5m Tinny non-member with motor problem required tow from Turners Camp to Bellara Ramp.
- SAT 14/04 1129am – 4.5m Tinny nonmember with motor problems, required a tow from South of Bribie Bridge to Donnybrook.
- SUN 15/04 10916am – 8m Larsen nonmember with motor problems, required a tow from North of Donnybrook to Spinnaker Sound Marina
- MON 16/04 0738am – 16m Cruiser member, taking on water, required pumping out. MON 16/04 1253pm – 4.75m Tinny non- member had run aground South end of Moreton Island required re-floating.
- TUE 17/04 0640am – 9m 5ton Shivers wont start required tow from Dunwich to Spinnaker Sound Marina.
- TUE 17/04 1114am – Vessel broken down and beached at Skirmish Point required tow to Spinnaker Sound Marina.
- TUE 17/04 1129am – 4.5m Runabout nonmember with motor problems required tow from Buckley’s Hole, restarted OK but failed to inform us.
- TUE 17/04 1810pm – Jet Ski member stuck on sand bank North of Mission Point, required tow back to Spinnaker Sound Marina.
- Tue 17/04 2028pm – 6.5m Cuddy Cabin drifting from Tangalooma mooring towards shipping channel past the wrecks. Owner had found vessel beached near Cowan Cowan just prior to VMRBI’s Bribie One arrival.
- FRI 20/04 1114am – 6m Cuddy Cabin nonmember with motor problems required a tow from Dux Creek to Spinnaker Sound Marina,
- FRI 20/04 1230pm – 9.9m Bay Cruiser member lost steering required tow from Woody Point to Brisbane River.
- FRI 20/04 1534pm – 6m ½ Cabin nonmember with motor problems required a tow from Tangalooma to Toorbul.
DRAGONS ABREAST BRIBIE ISLAND CHRISTEN NEW BOAT:
9 am Saturday 7th April 2018. Dragons Abreast Bribie Island who paddle out from Spinnaker Sound Marina held a boat christening ceremony on Saturday morning 7th April at 9.00am for their new boat “Spirit of Bribie II.” VMR Bribie was invited and Vice Commodore Liz Radajewski presented them with a new hand-held VHF Radio for the new boat, as the ladies log on with our Radio Room on every outing.
Dragons Abreast Bribie Island was founded in May 2009. Consisting mainly of cancer survivors, they paddle 3 times a week on the Pumicestone Passage, early Monday morning, late Thursday afternoon and early Saturday morning. They have 2 other dragon boats— ‘Spirit of Bribie’, a 20 seater, and ‘Little Spirit’, a 10 seater.
the Christening.
HAPPY HOUR FRIDAY 13TH April 2018
30 members and guests turned out for the Happy Hour, with nibbles and the usual great prices for drinks.
SANDSTONE POINT HOTEL RAFFLES – SUNDAY 15TH April 2018
It was White Saturday Crew who were rostered to provide ticket sellers for the Sandstone Point Hotel Raffles this Sunday. A beautiful day of around 30 degrees and the wonderful setting at the hotel made for a pleasant afternoon. Many thanks to the Comiskey family for allowing VMRBI to conduct these most valuable fundraisers nearly every Sunday of the year.
Common Safety Concerns Witnessed by VMRBI skippers
Compiled by VMR Coxswain Simon Middap
Bow Riding – this is our biggest concern The number of people putting themselves at risk of death or serious injury, by sitting or standing on the bow of boats that underway seem to be increasing. This practice is an accident waiting to happen. Bow riding is dangerous anytime, however lots do it in choppy conditions, at high speeds and turning sharply or cresting waves to increase the ‘thrill’ of the ride.
If your passenger slips off and goes under the moving boat, the skipper has no time to react, even if a lifejacket is being worn. Lifejackets won’t protect a person from propeller strike injuries or being hit in the head by heavy vessel. Worst case, it may result in death. Bow riding means:
• Extending any part of your body outside the perimeter of a power-driven vessel that is making way, or
• Being on the bow in a position that increases the risk of falling overboard. It is an offence that relates to both the offending person (fines apply). Bowrider designed boats, on the other hand, provide safe seating in this area of the boat and are just the ticket if you want to have some boating fun with the family riding up front, without any hands and legs outside the boat.
Anchoring or setting crab pots in a narrow passage, channel, or fairway – As with parking a car, you’re not allowed to just anchor wherever you like. It’s an international law that vessels are not allowed to anchor in a channel, therefore a vessel engaged in fishing must not impede the passage of any other vessel navigating within a narrow channel or fairway. It’s a dangerous activity for both the skipper of the moving vessel as well as the anchored vessel.
Larger vessels must maintain speed to steer, and in most cases, they must stay in the channel – it’s the only place deep enough for them to operate. A large vessel cannot manoeuvre as easily and normally creates a good size wake. Please take care not to anchor in channels to avoid potential for collisions, damage, injury or death. The same goes for the laying of crab pots. Although not an offence, it’s still a cause for concern. Once again, for both the skipper of the moving vessel but also the crab pot owner. Navigational channels tend to be the deeper, faster moving water.
This means crab pots and their attached lanyard and floats are more affected by the moving current, and more prone to moving or being hit by the moving vessel.
Travelling too fast when close to other objects or the shoreline – A power vessel’s speed limit of 6 knots applies within 30 metres of boats anchored, moored to the shore or aground. It also applies to a jetty, wharf, pontoon, boat ramp or the shoreline, as well as people in the water. PWC’s (Personal Water Craft/Jet Ski) which must not operate at more than 6 knots within 60 metres for the same objects as above.
Wash can create serious safety hazards for other boats, especially in marinas and anchorages where there is an expectation of calm conditions. Wash can also create damage to pontoons, jetties, vessels moored to these structures, vessels in shallow water or anchored on a foreshore and most importantly, shorelines and river banks. Even at slow speeds your boat will create wash.
Responsible skippers look behind to ensure their wash is kept to a minimum. Be aware of the impacts of your wash.
Young children not wearing life jackets – Queensland Legislation states it is compulsory to wear a lifejacket if you are under 12 years old (from 12 months old and up to, but not including, 12 years old) in an open boat that is less than 4.8m in length and underway. The jacket must be suitable for the size of the child and worn correctly. A complete article on life jackets will be addressed in a subsequent article.
For further information about Lifejackets from Maritime Safety Queensland see https://www.msq.qld.gov.au/Safety/Lifejackets.aspx
Watch out for VMR Bribie Island’s information sessions on boating and safety at our website: http://www.vmrbribie.com/
Always remember to LOG ON and LOG OFF with MARINE RESCUE BRIBIE for your safety.
Own a Boat?
You can join VMR Bribie Island online at www.vmrbribie.com, phone (07) 3408 7596 or call in person at Marine Parade Bellara, and enjoy many benefits including:
• breakdown assistance.
• vessel & contact details recorded in our database in case of emergency;
• access to first aid, radio, navigation courses plus safety/boating information sessions;
• regular social events;
• reimbursement up to $100/per year for tows by other VMR/Coastguard units; and
• overnight/weekend secure car & trailer parking at the base.
Always remember to LOG ON and LOG OFF with MARINE RESCUE BRIBIE for your safety.
Other Articles
https://thebribieislander.com.au/march-vmr-bribie-boating-safety/