Sea Rescue

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

Assisting Tasmania Police Marine Services in Search and Rescue.      Providing Education to the Boating Public

Safe Boating in 2009

Fit a VHF DSC Marine radio to enable instant Distress Alerting, and position reporting

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New members are always welcome. If you have interest in boating and would like to make a contribution to the community of your time and skills, Sea Rescue Tasmania would like to hear from you.

Clarence Seafarers Festival,  Bellerive Boardwalk,  Sunday 26th October

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 the 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, the Kevlacat 3200 will enable extended searches to be undertaken with a crew made up of both males and females.

BOATSHED SALE and Stallholder Invitation  (posted 23rd February 2008)

Sea Rescue Tasmania invites stallholders to participate in their next Boat Shed Sale, Saturday 29th March
at Sea Rescue Base, 4 Tiger Head Road, Dodges Ferry.  $20 Tax deductible donation to hold a stall. Boats,
marine accessories and household items welcomed.  All proceeds go to support this Volunteer Marine Rescue organisation.  Contact Cheryl on tel: 6265 8030.

Sea Rescue Tasmania welcomes Smithton Sea Rescue  (posted 9th January 2008)

Mary Kay has been operating a Limited Coast Marine Rescue Radio Base at Smithton for over five years. Originally operating in co-operation with the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol Base at Ulverstone, and more recently following the state-wide change-over to the Australian  Volunteer Coast Guard Association, operating with the name Smithton Coast Guard. The Smithton Radio Base now operates in co-operation with Sea Rescue Tasmania Inc. with the station name 'Smithton Sea Rescue' and Radio call sign VKT750.

Sea Rescue Tasmania Inc. and DigiBOAT,  have jointly developed  a VHF DSC based vessel tracking system
(posted 20th June 2007)

DigiBOAT, a dynamic marine navigation software company based in Sydney NSW, has modified its "Software-On-Board" program to decode the NMEA data generated by the output from a VHF DSC marine radio.

The position of vessels fitted with VHF DSC can now be located and displayed on an electronic C-Map chart.
The vessels position can be tracked and recorded for later playback if required.

This facility enables the Sea Rescue Base at Dodges Ferry to maintain a track of its own rescue vessel during
a Distress Search and Rescue incident, and playback the recorded track during any subsequent debrief.

The development of this software means that any VHF DSC equipped Radio  Base Station can now have the facility
to locate, track and record the position of any vessel wishing to lodge its MMSI with the Base Station and participate in a position logging routine.

NAVMAN Australia gifting VHF DSC marine radios  (posted 20th Dec 2006)

NAVMAN Australia has provided two 7200 VHF DSC marine radios to Sea Rescue Tasmania Inc.

The Polling capability of the NAVMAN 7200 will greatly enhance the operational safety of the crew aboard 'Sea Rescue-1' whilst the vessel is engaged in SAR operations.  The vessel's position will now be tracked by the Base at Dodges Ferry using the VHF DSC Position Polling facility.

When a GPS is connected to a VHF DSC radio on board a vessel a Routine DSC Call transmitted by the vessel automatically contains the vessel's position.

Vessels carrying VHF DSC will now be able to report their position to Sea Rescue Base by sending a Routine DSC Call to MMSI 005030095.

Sea Rescue Meets every Wednesday evening at 8pm

If you are interested in finding out more about the work of your local Volunteer Marine Rescue group, why not call in and see for yourself.  You are welcome to have a conducted tour of our Shark Cat rescue vessel 'Sea Rescue-1' and our Head Quarters at 4 Tiger Head Road, Dodges Ferry.

New custom-built boat trailer for 'Sea Rescue 1'  (posted 19th July 2006)

Sea Rescue took delivery of the new custom-built boat trailer for the Shark Cat rescue vessel 'Sea Rescue 1' in July.  Photographs of the new trailer can be viewed in the Photo Library.  The new boat trailer was built by King Trailers of Moonah.

406 MHz EPIRB and VHF Digital Selective Calling  (posted 5th July 2006)

Sea Rescue has equipped 'Sea Rescue-1'with a Pains Wessex 406 MHz EPIRB, and will shortly be fitting new VHF marine radios with Digital Selective Calling to both the Rescue vessel and at the Base in Dodges Ferry.

The new VHF DSC radios will enable the position of the rescue vessel to be easily obtained at any given time by Base operations staff using the Polling facility.  This will enable the vessel's position to be recorded and plotted making search operations more effective and efficient.

The carriage of both the 406 MHz EPIRB and VHF DSC onboard 'Rescue-1' significantly enhances the safety of the vessels operation and that of its crew.

Sea Rescue Tasmania Inc. celebrated its 15th Anniversary

Sea Rescue Tasmania began operations as the Dodges Ferry Division of the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol in April  1991.  A celebration to mark the 15th anniversary of operations by the Dodges Ferry volunteer marine rescue organisation was held on Saturday 22nd April 2006 at the Headquarters, 4 Tiger Head Road.  The Minister for Emergency Services, the Hon. David Llewellyn MHA,  cut the Birthday cake with Sorell Council Mayor Carmel Torenius.  (See more photos of the event in the Photo Library).

 

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

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Page updated: 1/01/2009