What We Do

Role of the Coastal Patrol - The Coastal Patrol has a role at all levels in assisting members of the boating community to educate and protect themselves, their passengers and their vessels. These roles are a core part of the “Constitution of the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol”, registered with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, and include:

• To provide assistance to public authorities entrusted with or connected with the administration or regulation of maritime affairs;
• To assist or co-operate with any authority concerned or entrusted with the defence of the Realm;
• To provide theoretical and practical instruction on seamanship subjects and boat handling;
• To carry out marine search and rescue work or other water-borne service of a public or community nature.

The Coastal Patrol works closely with the NSW Maritime Authority, NSW Police and Water Police, NSW SES, Australian Customs, NSW Ambulance, NSW Fire Brigade and the Rural Fire Services, St John Ambulance, WICEN, local councils and other government agencies. In recent years, assistance provided by the Coastal Patrol has included:

• Search and Rescue in offshore and coastal harbour, lake and river waterways in NSW;
• Evacuation of bush fire victims on the Central Coast, Sussex Inlet and Broken Bay;
• Crowd control and escort duties at major events such as the start of the annual Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, New Years Eve on Sydney Harbour, Australia Day celebrations and the return home of Australian warships;
• Waterside quarantine control during livestock disease outbreaks;
• Marshalling and emergency response during annual river events such as the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic and Bridge to Bridge Water Ski Race;
• Mandatory marine radio safety checks for entrants in major blue water yacht races including the Sydney to Hobart, Sydney to Coffs Harbour and Pittwater to Lord Howe Island;
• Manning the Public Information Inquiry Centre (PIIC) at the NSW Police Command Centre in Goulburn Street, Sydney during major disasters such as the hail storms, bushfires, rail accidents like the Waterfall accident, quarantine accidents that affect the public.