ON ROUTE: Bermagui 30 overnighted at Marine Rescue Middle Harbour in Sydney on its delivery voyage from the boat builder’s factory at Taree. Photo by Lindsay Cavanagh, MR Middle Harbour
THE port of Bermagui and its Marine Rescue unit has a brand new large fiberglass rescue boat patrolling local waters.
The vessel overnighted at Marine Rescue Middle Harbour in Sydney on its delivery voyage from the boat builder’s factory at Taree, before embarking on the second leg of its journey to its new homeport.
Known as Bermagui 30, the 38-foot Steber by last week had already completed two missions at sea.
Commander Alex Perceival said after a couple of weeks of “shake down” the vessel’s first mission came on March 11 and again on March 13 when in both cases recreational trailer craft broke down at Montague Island and were towed back to Bermagui.
The unit’s old vessel ex-Police launch the James T. Lees has already been sold and is staying in Bermagui as it was purchased by a local planning to convert it into a cruiser.
Bermagui 30 is latest in Marine Rescue’s growing fleet of fast-deployment Steber offshore rescue vessels with a capability for up to 30 nautical miles offshore. Marine Rescue Batemans Bay last took delivery of its own $638,000 Steber 38 last year.
More than 5,000 working hours at Steber International Taree went into the construction of Bermagui 30, which is equipped with state-of-the-art Raymarine navigation, Icom marine radio electronics, Furuno AIS (Automatic Identification System), FLIR night vision and advanced first aid equipment including Australian Defibrillators cardiac defibrillator and oxygen therapy.
Marine Rescue Bermagui’s new headquarters in the Bermagui Fisherman’s Wharf and the arrival of the new vessel was helping to boost the unit’s membership with a group of new members recently getting their radio qualifications.
Mr Perceival encouraged anyone interested in checking out the new vessel or joining the unit to stop by radio room during business hours.
