The new Marine Rescue Trial Bay replacement vessel arrived at South West Rocks early this afternoon and will go into service over the coming days after volunteers underwent training and induction on the boat at Yamba yesterday.
The 10 metre Naiad was constructed by Yamba Welding and Engineering with senior crew being introduced to the new vessel under the guidance of Marine Rescue NSW Senior Manager Fleet Kelvin Parkin.
“The new Trial Bay 30 aced its sea trial last month and departed Yamba this morning.
“This vessel will enhance search and rescue capability in the region with its state-of-the-art navigation and communications technology including a full Raymarine suite.
“It is powered by twin Suzuki 300 horsepower engines and capable of reaching a top speed of 42 knots,” Parkin said.
Marine Rescue Trial Bay Unit Commander Ian Turner said the new replacement vessel handles extremely well on the water, which is crucial during rescue missions.
“With the new design of the hull, the turning capabilities and the softness that we are experiencing when we are crossing a bar over the swells is a vast improvement on our original (former) vessel,” he said.
Unit Commander Turner said there are a number of operational enhancements on the new boat.
“The first thing that comes to mind is the spaciousness of this vessel, which is just a little bit wider than our original vessel, the ergonomic seats are very comfortable and particularly the new suite of electronics which brings this vessel up to the new fleet standard.
“This new vessel has access cut-outs on both the port and starboard side so you don’t step over the gunnel you step through it, which is a major safety point, it also has a davit for lifting people into our vessel during a man overboard response,” Unit Commander Turner said.
Marine Rescue Trial Bay Coxswain Geoff Greenwood was part of the delivery crew and said the journey south from Yamba was extremely comfortable on the new vessel.
“Very pleased, the boat went well, we were able to sit around 25 knots somewhere there and rode very well, very impressed,” he said.
Mr Greenwood said the Marine Rescue Trial Bay crew had company on the journey with the whale migration in full swing.
“There were a ton of whales, we had to give them a wide berth from time to time but they all look fairly healthy,” he said.
Boaters are reminded to follow the marine mammal watching rules and to always Log On and Log Off with their local Marine Rescue NSW base either via the free Marine Rescue app or over VHF channel 16.
The NSW Government has contributed to the cost of the Trial Bay 30 replacement vessel to support the vital work of Marine Rescue NSW and its 3,400 volunteers.
Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.
