Media Release

Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol
Released by:   Ken McManus – Marketing & PR Officer
Release date:  Sunday 28 January 2007       

YACHTSMAN OVERBOARD SATURDAY NIGHT
OFF WHALE BEACH

Conditions for boating were pretty ordinary on Saturday night. The southerly was howling and the wind gauge at Coastal Patrol’s Point Clare (Central Coast) Marine Radio Base was showing 30 knots with gusts to 40 knots. The forecast indicated seas of 2.0 – 3.0m and duty watch-keeper, Brendon Weston, was hoping for a quiet night, but it was not to be.

At 2010 hours the VHF radio received a message, “Can anyone help me”. The message was from a young woman aboard a 14.5m yacht, “Dreamtime”. Her father, the yacht’s owner and only person with sailing experience, had just been washed overboard. She and the other four on board needed help and fast.

Training kicks in - Position, Problem, People.

Position: the young woman was able to provide an accurate position from the yacht’s GPS instrument, about 1 km east of Whale Beach.

People: five on board, one in the water, Lifejacket? Yes and yellow wet weather gear. Good - that will help with spotting the man in the bad conditions.

Problem: one MOB (Man Overboard) and five unable to handle a yacht. 

Action: reassure those on board that help is on the way. Ask one person to remain with the radio. Call Police immediately to arrange for helicopter assistance and a Water Police vessel. Then back on the radio, get the yacht’s crew to try to drop the sails, start the engine and try to spot the person in the water.

Engine started, cannot drop the sails, cannot see their father in the water. Helicopter, “Rescue 1”, now overhead, the man is spotted, a strobe light dropped to pinpoint the man’s location. Water Police launch “WP32” from Broken Bay arrived, and was directed to the man’s location. Great work, man has been recovered – crikey; it is just 50 minutes since the call was received.

Father on police boat radio to the yacht advises his anxious passengers how to drop the main sail. Finally it is done – but trailing ropes foul the yacht’s propeller, so Police launch takes “Dreamtime” in tow into Pittwater. By 2148 hours everyone safe and sound, and tranquillity returns to the radio room, wind is still blowing, it’s nice to be in a warm dry spot, and great that all turned out so well. 

Makes you wonder what would have happened if the Coastal Patrol volunteers hadn’t been providing their 24-7 radio monitoring. Oh – you didn’t know that since the Telstra stations were closed that radio monitoring for recreational boating in NSW is now all done by volunteers?

ENDS