Sea Rescue Tasmania Inc. Breaking News

Sea Rescue	Tasmania Inc.	Telephone: 03 62 65 9666	searescue@bigpond.com

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Breaking News

New Rescue Vessel for Sea Rescue Dodges Ferry

Posted 24 October 2008

Commissioning of the new Rescue Vessel for Sea Rescue Tasmania (posted 24 October 2008)

Sea Rescue Tasmania will officially commission their new vessel Sea Rescue 1 during the Seafarer’s Festival on Sunday 26 October from 10.30am to 4.00pm on the Bellerive Boardwalk.

Seafarer’s Festival Convenor and Deputy Mayor, Alderman Doug Chipman said the Seafarer’s Festival was a terrific setting for the new vessel’s launch at 11.30am.

“The Festival is a great event that brings Tasmanians into contact with the many volunteer organisations at work on our waterways, and we’re very pleased to host the launch of this important vessel,” said Alderman Chipman.

President of the Dodges Ferry based Sea Rescue Tasmania, Peter Derkley, said it had taken three years and six funding applications with a target of $220,000 to achieve the commissioning of Sea Rescue 1.

"In 2005, we identified that our volunteer organisations greatest threat in the future was the ongoing suitability of its current aging rescue vessel, especially considering the often extreme weather conditions volunteers operate in," Mr Derkley said.

"We undertook to win public grants, funds and donations to raise our target budget before we encountered serious problems to the current aging rescue vessel.”

“$145,000 from the Tasmanian Community Fund, plus sponsorship, donations and fundraising efforts, and a final $35,000 over two years from the State Government has lead to the launch of the $250,000 vessel purchased at a generously discounted $205,000,” Mr Derkley explained.

The Seafarer’s Festival crowds will have an opportunity to join in the celebrations and look over the new vessel after the commissioning ceremony.

Gerald Loughran, Chairman of the Tasmanian Community Fund and a political representative from the Department of Premier and Cabinet, will jointly commission Sea Rescue 1.

Sea Rescue Tasmania has purchased the Kevlacat 3200 which will replace the aging Shark Cat as their primary rescue vessel. Based at Dodges Ferry, on Frederick Henry Bay, the 9.75m (32') Flybridge Kevlacat, powered by two 230hp Yanmar inboard diesels will provide much improved sea handling capabilities over the Shark Cat and will also provide a greater service range.

The Kevlacat will also provide the capacity to carry a larger number of crew and in relative comfort. On the occasions when the Shark Cat has had both paramedics and police on board during a rescue incident the vessel has been a little crowded. With bunks, cooking facilities, fridge, and more importantly a toilet on board, extended searches can be undertaken with a crew of both male and female members.

It is hoped to have the vessel operational by the end of October. Some fitting out has to be done to make the 10 metre vessel suitable for Search and Rescue work.

The new Sea Rescue Tasmania, Dodges Ferry, Rescue Vessel 'Sea Rescue 1'

Smithton Sea Rescue

Mary Kay operates the Volunteer Marine Rescue Radio Base at Smithton in North West Tasmania. Mary Kay has personal knowledge of Tasmanian coastal waters having circumnavigated Tasmanian in her husband's yacht.

Smithton Radio provides an invaluable service to professional fishing boats, cruising yachts, and recreational craft in Bass Strait and waters off North West Tasmania.

Sea Rescue Tasmania is delighted that Smithton Radio is working in partnership to provide a dedicated volunteer service to the boating public in Tasmanian waters.

VHF Digital Selective Calling

VHF DSC Position Polling

Sea Rescue Tasmania Inc. in co-operation with DigiBOAT

Using VHF DSC to enhance the Safety of small craft in Australian Coastal Waters

DigiBOAT "Software-On-Board" provides the capability of displaying the position of a vessel that has been obtained via VHF DSC Automatic Polling.

The NMEA data output from the VHF DSC radio contains the MMSI and vessel's position information which is decoded using the DigiBOAT "SoftwareOnBoard" navigation program. The position of the vessel is displayed over a C-MAP electronic chart on a computer screen.

The use of VHF DSC and the DigiBOAT software provides the capacity to greatly enhance the Distress and Safety monitoring for the boating public in the coastal waters around Australia.

In addition, the VHF DSC radios will also enhance the safety of 'Sea Rescue 1' and its crew.

By using the Polling facility built into the NAVMAN 7200 VHF DSC radio, the Sea Rescue Base at Dodges Ferry is now able to obtain the position of 'Sea Rescue 1' at any time, without having to distract the crew from their search and rescue activities.

The NAVMAN VHF DSC radio on board 'Sea Rescue 1', enables the GPS position of the rescue craft to be recorded at any time as the VHF DSC radio is 'Polled' by the Dodges Ferry Base Station.

Polling

Vessels fitted with the NAVMAN VHF DSC 7200 or ICOM M604 model radios can now also be automatically Polled to obtain their position if they provide their MMSI to VMR base stations.

Position Reports

Small craft, fitting VHF DSC, will be able to provide Position Reports to VMR Base stations with just the push of a button. By transmitting a Routine DSC Call to the Sea Rescue base at Dodges Ferry the vessel's position is automatically included in the received information and displayed on the receiving VHF DSC.

MMSI

The MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity) is the nine digit number, obtainable upon request from AMSA , that is necessary to enable the DSC function in the new VHF DSC marine radios. (see: http://www.amsa.gov.au)

"Fast Response. Community Resourced. Volunteer Operated. Marine Rescue and Education"

Page updated: 1/01/2009