As the owner of a boat, it is your responsibility to maintain it in a seaworthy condition, equip it with the correct safety equipment, and operate it safely. But what if your boat is still suffering from an unfortunate incident last summer? Or what if you have been too busy to rescue it from being stranded on a sand bar or lost in the mangroves? Or the funds are running a little too low to do those repairs? Maybe it is starting to cost more than it is worth?

If your boat is looking a little worse for wear, then it is your responsibility to bring your vessel up to seaworthy condition, or to remove it from the water. This may be costly, or take time, but it is not only for your own safety, but the safety of all other waterways users.

Under Queensland maritime safety laws, a shipping inspector can require that your boat is surveyed and the necessary repairs undertaken. Or, if it has gone too far, a declaration of unseaworthiness may be issued, and you will no longer be able to use your boat. You can also be directed to remove your boat from the water so that it does not pose a hazard to navigation, or a risk of damage to the environment or any other water users. Be careful once you have received any notices or directions, because if you do not comply you can be penalised by fines and court enforcement orders.

Now, it is not all doom and gloom. Take a look at your boat. Do you have the correct safety equipment? Is your boat seaworthy and well maintained? Does it present a safety risk? It might only take a couple of repairs for you to be ready to take that fishing trip.

Maybe your boat is past the point where a few repairs will solve the problem. It has been moored down the creek, collecting water, and rusting up for a little too long. It is still your responsibility. If you cannot be identified as the owner of the vessel, you might just find that one day it will be gone.

If a derelict vessel represents a hazard to navigation or may cause damage to the environment, then the abandoned property can be removed immediately and a seizure notice advertised only afterwards. This applies to abandoned ships, and also to any part of a ship or other property. Unfortunately, if it is neglected, sometimes a small boat can cause a very big problem – possibly resulting in fines, mandatory repairs, and massive unexpected costs for the owner.

It is not just boats that are subject to this type of regulation. Any watercraft can be deemed to be abandoned property if it is reasonably believed to be abandoned, lost or stranded in Gold Coast waters – whether it represents a hazard or not. According to the definition of watercraft in the Transport Infrastructure Act 1994, this includes from boats and jet skis, down to kayaks and surfboards. If property is suspected to be abandoned, the Gold Coast Waterways Authority will take reasonable steps to locate the owner. If your property is suspected to be abandoned and has been removed, you can claim it back. But there are expenses associated; it might just be the cost of publishing a notice, or the costs spent retrieving and storing your property. If abandoned property is not claimed, or it is of insufficient value to warrant the publishing of a notice, then it may be sold or destroyed – with the proceeds of any sale being used to recoup some of the costs expended in maintaining Gold Coast waterways.

The purpose of these powers is not to try and take your kayaks or beloved tinnies. It is so that, in a storm, a wayward vessel does not come crashing into yours, only to find that the owner cannot be identified and you are stuck with the repairs; or that you are not having to weave in and out of partially submerged derelict dinghies hoping to save your new gel coat from a nasty scratch. These laws exist for waterways users and their property. So how can you do your bit?

Remember that maintenance, responsibility and care are key: Maintain your boat and keep it seaworthy. Be a responsible owner. Make sure your watercraft identifies you as the owner with your contact details – whether through current registration and symbols, or owner’s label if not registered. And take care of your property. Stow your paddleboard or kayaks safely at the end of the day.

By Anthony Stanton and Kendall Messer

Pacific Maritime Lawyers

The post Look After It or Lose It appeared first on Boat Gold Coast.

Since the first days of copper sheeting and Muntz Metal, antifouling products have come a long way. It is tempting to think about antifouling as paint; but it is more than that. It is actually a very clever piece of chemistry.

Traditionally, every year, you must spend the time and money to lift your vessel, blast away any fouling, then sand back and reapply an antifouling coating. This happens whether you take your boat out every weekend or only three times a year.

With recent years seeing many innovative solutions arriving on the market, the old tried-and-true annual application of antifoul now has some competition. In general, all the paint providers for the marine industry provide a solution, and most of them have a great range to choose from. With some providers claiming systems have lasted up to 11 years before the need for reapplication. The more important questions are: which antifoul product suits your vessel, and most importantly, how you use it.

The Runabout

The good old-fashioned weekend warrior – small, mobile and fun, and taken out of the water after use. If this is your boat type, resist the urge to put antifouling on at all. Antifouling is a product designed to keep marine organisms from settling on the underwater hull of boats. These products perform best when left permanently in the water. If your boat is not stored in the water, then there is no need to apply it to your hull. In fact, most systems are designed to be fully submerged.

The Racer

These guys are passionate about speed. You will see them flying down the Broadwater on a Thursday afternoon one hand on the handrail, the other holding a glass of champagne. In the past, super hard ablative antifouls have been used and sanded back smooth for speed. However, with the innovation of products, many yacht owners are semi-ablative coatings, such as PPG’s ABC3®, EcoFleet 290®, or even International’s MicronExtra®. Rather than sanding, the simple wash-down with a soft cloth prevents excess wear of the coating, as over cleaning can lead to premature failure.

The Pleasure Craft and Superyachts

Here is where we start to see the overnight trips and ‘at-sea’ entertainment. Still, most of these boats are permanently in the water and not always on the move. As much as we would all like to be on the water every weekend, the truth is, we only get out there once or twice a month. This means the antifouling has to work while the boat sits still. Ablative or self-polishing types with high copper content work best here. Check out PPG’s Ecofleet 290® or Jotun SeaGuardian®. Either way, it also pays to keep an eye on your boat and clean off any slime that may occur. The right product selection will keep fouling at bay and provide you with better time at sea!

The Commercial Boat

Used for whale watching or passenger trips, these boats commute like the City Cat in Brisbane. These vessels quite often stay in the water for two years or more, so a semi-ablative antifoul is often used. The frequent movement in conjunction with a reasonable speed is the space for the semi-ablative antifouling. Silicone-based systems, like International’s Intersleek 100SR® or PPG’s Sigmaglide®, not only keep the fuel usage and costs down, they also last. Some silicone systems have been known to last more than 10 years!

Ultimately, whatever approach you consider taking, it is always an advantage to get good consultation on your boat, its circumstances, and your individual needs. With some expert advice, you will be sure to get the solution that is best for you and your boat.

Just remember, the way to get the best out of your antifouling is: Good preparation, the correct application, and the right quantity. Of course, if you use the right maintenance practices, the coating will last longer too.

Our team at Riverside Marine Services are always at the ready to serve you in all your boating needs. Drop by and say ‘Hi’ to us at the Gold Coast City Marina, Coomera. For more information, call Shaun Phelps on 0488 012 337, or email us at RMS@riversidemarine.com.au.

The post Which Antifoul Suits Your Vessel? appeared first on Boat Gold Coast.

So it is not hard to see that you just would not leave your boat unattended swinging around on its anchor. You might say you can lock it up and head ashore, just as you would leave the car and head into the shopping centre, but they are not the same. There is no ‘P’ to move the gear selector to, and no handbrake to apply. There is far more of an onus on you to apply a reasonable common sense test. Ask yourself, “Am I really doing the best thing by all?”

Boats are more like a constant state of flux than cars. They are susceptible to multiple inputs, often simultaneously. Usually it is not one thing going awry that leads to disaster, but more like a collection, or string, with the first merely one stop on a train ride to a very bad place.

Of course, the old adage, “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link”, comes to mind promptly, and it is incredibly apt here, given that this is an article about leaving your boat unattended whilst at anchor. Boats stop and go by virtue of things like anchors or ropes to quay, and then sails or engines. All these things have variables, like depth of water, wind, fuel, and so on. (We have another article about how best to perform safe anchoring, which you can read here: http://www.pantaenius.com.au/en/news-events/news/newsartikel/news/safe-anchoring-1.html)

The key is to remember to never turn your back on the ocean. Weather and tides change all the time. What might have been a safe anchorage when you arrived could turn into a 6knot tidal flow on the next change. Alternatively, a new wind may blow in from nowhere. If you’re up at dinner or asleep in a hotel ashore, you’ve just left your boat to make choices for itself. Without human intervention, they always go for the one with the biggest muscles.

At that point, you’re asking your insurer to make a leap of faith for you, and the answers may not necessarily be the ones you want to hear either. Leaving a boat unattended at anchor for an extended period of time overnight, or even during the day, is risky due to potential changes in the overall weather window, namely, tide, wind, and waves. Any one of them in isolation can be serious, and with all three it’s pretty much bound to be.

So before you step off, ask yourself, “Am I taking a risk that I want to take? Or am I taking a risk lightly because my insurance company will deal with it?” Remember, it is only if you are not on board, because if you are, you can do something to prevent it going from a simple anchor dragging to a total misery. That’s the human intervention we mentioned earlier. There are your own senses to help you, and also many an electronic aid in the form of Radar and GPS.

Ultimately, it’s no accident if a boat drags when you are not there. More like a matter of time really. One example comes to mind immediately. A section of corroded chain on the sea floor fouled an anchor when it moved, and the boat up top had a speedy and sorry demise to near death, many miles away. The owners had been on board for several days waiting to get into a local marina, and decided that as nothing had happened already, they could go ashore for the night.

The simple version is that the wind rose, the tide dropped and the boat was holed, lost a rudder and sail drive all together, as well as extensive damage from water ingress into the starboard hull. Her 30m of 10mm chain and 30kg CQR were rendered useless as the damage bill climbed towards $100,000 and took four months to rectify, all of which became a very expensive night ashore.

So what does it all mean? Well, you should consider hiring someone to be your anchor watch. In a lot of the world it is cheap, and then too, in other parts it is downright dangerous, so you need to pick your country. Also, you can always reshuffle the deck so you can get a berth in a marina, and then have that precious time ashore.

Simply put, just think of this. When you’re at anchor, make sure your boat is held fast in the first place, and then keep checking it at regular intervals. Why? Because things always change, and that’s especially so when at sea.

Now if you want clarification on your policy, or to review your requirements, please talk with the crew that know boats. Go to www.pantaenius.com.au or call +61 2 9936 1670 today and see why everything from superyachts to global cruisers choose the marine originated, all-risk policy that only Pantaenius can provide you with.

By John Curnow for Pantaenius

The post Hold Fast appeared first on Boat Gold Coast.

The complexity of boating technology and the increase in the number of people accessing recreational water vehicles mean that safety is becoming more imperative. Monitoring of people and their use of the waterways has also significantly increased. There is no question that with rising numbers of boat and waterways users come a growing need to ensure all users remain safe.

In 2010, the National Maritime Safety Committee released a boating usage study report, which indicated that one percent of boating trips resulted in an incident, and these occurred generally within the first two hours of boating. It was also reported that there was a gross under-reporting of boating incidents, suggesting that there is a higher number of accidents and mishaps on the water. These incidents generally resulted from poor preparation, and lack of attention and due diligence.

Although boating schools offer a wide range of courses for recreational or professional licences, refresher courses are not that popular. There are providers who report that they do have people contact them for these courses.

“We have several people a month come to us for refresher courses,” Mike from Licence to Boat, a marine licensing service provider, indicated. “People who haven’t been out on the water for quite a while come to us, and we put them through the standard course to give them a bit more confidence. They join in with all the other people who are starting for the first time, and we give them a practical element, and just make sure they feel happy and confident.”

Online Refresher

An online course has a large number of advantages. One that matters most to me is that it provides the option for people to complete their original licensing theory online (such as Boatsafe) prior to engaging in the practical aspects of their recreational boating licence.

Learning online is an exceptional way to privately engage with the course material, as nobody is overlooking your shoulder. If you get something wrong, you can simply repeat and go over the material again.

As a mother with several children, and having recently purchased a sailing yacht, I can take my time in learning and relearning safety principles through an online course. I am able to go through the course at my own pace, and just log onto it wherever I may be – at home or at a cafe. In this way, I am more focused on understanding the lessons, as there is less external pressure to perform well in a short period of time.

The Advanced Skipper, an online refresher course for marine licence holders, recently launched by the Boating Industry Association (BIA), is a welcome innovation for many boaters. The course is a convenient way to relearn what we may have forgotten and to reaffirm what we already know. So I enrolled in the Advanced Skipper course and completed it at the tip of my fingers – literally and figuratively!

Advanced Skipper: A Review

The course is generally straightforward. I really enjoy the way the course is presented. It is ideal for people, like myself, who perhaps do not want to go straight into the practical course until feeling absolutely ready. My time is at a premium, so being able to do this course from the comfort of my own home really is a bonus for me.

The course is estimated to only take an hour, but I took several sittings of the course to really get a grasp on the concepts. There is a lot of learning material and it deserves more than one sitting to truly understand the information. It is reassuring to know, however, that there is no deadline for completing the course. This is a good feature, because there is a lot of material covered!

I appreciate the simplicity of the presentation of the course. The course is structured by following different scenarios. These scenarios simulate “what if”-type situations that can be avoided by following more safety guidelines and having better preparation. It makes you really take notice of what can go wrong. And the best thing about it is you can make a mistake without placing yourself or anyone in danger!

The course covers a wide variety of scenarios including Sydney and Gold Coast waterways. The emphasis on safety, proper procedures, maintaining a vessel, and refresher skills are really of high quality. This is an extremely comprehensive course, suitable for all learning levels of people able to obtain a recreational marine licence.

The questions offer multiple-choice answers. I tripped up on some of them where you have to provide more than one answer. But it is all good, as you always have a chance to go back if you make these mistakes.

To complete the course, you have to obtain a 100% passing rate. It is wise to keep going back over the material until you get everything correct. You can also find out at each section if you answered correctly. The whole course allows for multiple retakes until you get 100%.

What I found very helpful for me are the pre-departure checks. It has been such a long time since I encountered these concepts – from way back as a teenager when my Dad would take my brother and I out in our small fishing boat! Now that I am getting back into boating – with a sailing vessel – I think that the pre-departure checks are really important, particularly the emphasis on safety equipment.

While the questions are generally straightforward, I did find some of the terminology – like converting between nautical miles and understanding speeds, wind speeds and remembering all of the boating jargon – really something to get my head wrapped around. Despite having a marine licence, I have not had any recent regular exposure to boating, and so many of these concepts have slipped my mind. It will be very helpful if there were readily accessible reference materials for the skipper to review before completing the course – either as links that take you to a recommended website or as downloadable materials that you can save in your personal files. Printable versions of pre-departure check templates will also benefit many people who are taking the refresher course.

There are a couple more issues that may need to be addressed. One is to cater for people who may not have access to fast internet connection. The other is for those with hearing impairment, where a text version or subtitled version of the text can be offered.

From an information technology point of view, the course is lightyears ahead of any other comparable offerings. The animations are snappy and engaging. I must say that the creators of this software have really done an impressive job in creating a high quality product.

The course is very affordable, and the return on investment is significant. Aside from the educational benefits of the course, the Advanced Skipper program includes proper certification for the participant, and provides a host of discounts offered by sponsoring companies.

Further, upon completion, the participant will be invited to be part of a forum on how to improve maritime safety. The participant can further provide feedback on how to further improve the course itself, and also other aspects of the marine industry overall.

The Advanced Skipper program is a significant course that helps remind us of basic boating concepts and safety measures, as well as enhances our problem-solving skills in specific scenarios.

In time, it should possibly be mandatory to participate in refresher courses – whether online or in a classroom setting – in order to enhance and promote safety on the water. Needless to say, safety is a paramount responsibility of the skipper, and anyone who is in charge of a vessel is responsible not only for ensuring the proper maintenance of the boat, but more importantly, the safety of the people onboard.

By Lori Woodward

Related Story

Advanced Skipper – Q&A with Howard Glenn

The post Refresh Your Boating Knowledge appeared first on Boat Gold Coast.

BGC: Why is Advanced Skipper important in boating?

Howard Glenn (HG): I was responsible for boating safety in the NSW Government for many years before this job, and also chaired the Australian Recreational Boating Safety Committee. During my time in government, I saw the need for a refresher course for boaters wanting to brush-up on their knowledge. Most recreational boaters don’t go out boating often enough – not as often as driving a car, for example – so their knowledge and skills need to be refreshed. Surf life saving and first aiders all have refresher courses, and so should boaters. In the comfort of your own home and at your own pace, you can now take your time to brush up on what you knew, but also find out what additional knowledge could be helpful.

BGC: What are its advantages?

HG: Not only does the course improve boaters’ safety, it also increases their confidence, making the boating experience more enjoyable.

It is all practical stuff! The course offers expert tips, common courtesy and solutions to scenarios on the water to improve the boating experience.

BGC: What is the participation of various organisations?

HG: The Advanced Skipper course addresses the issues identified in government incident data. The key partners in development were boating safety authorities, boat licence educators and insurance companies.

Related Story

Refresh Your Boating Knowledge

The post Advanced Skipper – Q&A with Howard Glenn appeared first on Boat Gold Coast.

If you own or operate such a boat and you do not have an SMS in place right now, then you must act immediately (SOS!).

The owner is either the legal owner of the boat or the party whose name appears on the Certificate of Operation. The owner has the duty to ‘implement and maintain’ an SMS, which ensures the operations of the vessel are safe. The master or person operating a boat in any kind of commercial application must ‘implement and comply with’ the vessel’s SMS. These duties are required under the Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012.

Heavy penalties can result from an owner or master’s failure to comply with the necessary SMS requirements. More importantly, a failure to have a properly considered SMS in place could lead to the death or injury of a person.

In practical terms, it is more likely that the failure to have a proper SMS in place will result in the regulator issuing you a Prohibition Notice – meaning that you will be unable to use the vessel subject of the notice until an appropriate SMS is in place.

The period of downtime resulting from a Prohibition Notice can be very costly to a business operation.

How do I prepare an SMS?

Fortunately, Part E of the National Standards for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) describes quite clearly what needs to be in an SMS. Basically, your SMS must contain:

• Vessel details
• Owner’s and designated person’s contact details
• Risk assessment
• Statements of owner’s and master’s responsibility
• An assessment and determination of appropriate crew levels
• Procedures for all onboard operations
• Emergency procedures

There are many components to the above items, and it is easy to end up with a very long SMS that does not really do its job – which is to make your commercial boating activity safer for crew and passengers.

In order to maximise the usefulness of your SMS, we have found it is best to construct the document in the following stages:

Stage 1

Do a skeleton of all the headings required by Part E, NSCV, and fill out all the basic contact information and vessel details.

Stage 2

Go straight to a risk assessment. Consider all of the day-to-day operations of your boat when used in its commercial setting, and all of the things that could go wrong, the ‘risks’. For each ‘risk’ identified, think about how likely it is to occur, and about how severe the consequences would be if it occurred. Finally, think about all the things that can be done in order to minimise the chances of the identified risks occurring (called controls).

Stage 3

All of the controls identified at stage 2 then become the basis of your procedures, both operating and emergency. Make sure your procedures are simple, in bullet points, and kept readily accessible for your crew. Ensure that drills are conducted regularly to ensure procedures are being followed.

Stage 4

With the procedures completed, you will have a good feeling for the manning requirements of the boat, which will enable you to complete the appropriate crew assessment. Remember, a boat cannot be used for a commercial purpose if only the minimum crew is carried. Your SMS appropriate crewing assessment will ensure that your boat has the appropriate crew for commercial use.

Ensure you have a system for recording incidents and improving the SMS in response to what caused those incidents. The SMS must also be reviewed each year. This ensures it is a ‘living’ document.

As an owner and master, you should also ensure that all new crew are familiar with the SMS, and have a section where crew can certify that they have been inducted and have carried out drills as appropriate.

There is your new SMS!

Once the document has been created, you’ll need to make sure that it is handy and in a form that is easily presented to Marine Safety Inspectors (MSI) if they visit to conduct a monitoring activity. The inspectors will ensure that you, the master and crew, are familiar with the contents of the SMS, and that the operation is actually conducted in accordance with the words in the document.

The completed SMS is a very important document to a maritime business. No matter the size of your commercial boat, or the scope and scale of your business operation, this is a document that forms the basis of a safe and compliant operation. In the event of an incident, the first question you will be asked by an investigator may well be….

‘Show me your SMS’

By Anthony Stanton, MER- Director of Business Solutions

/Sep-Dec2017

The post Who Needs a Safety Management System (SMS) appeared first on Boat Gold Coast.

But before you get carried away and take that boat for a spin, there are a few issues in stepping up from a smaller boat to a larger boat that you might like to consider before fully opening the throttle.

Licensing

There was a policy proposal some years ago to require recreational boat owners of greater than 15 metres in length to undertake additional training and obtain a more advanced licence than the Recreational Marine Drivers Licence (RMDL). The policy proposal never made it into law, but the rationale for the policy remains sound; that is, there are additional risks associated with larger recreational vessels. It almost goes without saying that the skills required for operating a 4m tinny are significantly different to operating a 15m luxury powerboat, and yet no additional training or licensing are required.

An awareness of safe speed, keeping a proper lookout, and ship handling in confined waters, are all matters that take on greater significance as a vessel becomes larger, and could result in incidents and accidents that would not have occurred in a smaller vessel.

Keeping a proper lookout

The collision regulations require a proper lookout by sight and sound, as well as all available means appropriate to the prevailing circumstances and conditions. Any well-equipped vessel will have a few gadgets and electronic devices to assist the discerning mariner with their lookout obligation. A RADAR, chart plotter, maybe even an AIS transceiver, will likely be fitted.

The temptation for many new boat owners is to operate their vessel as if it is akin to a motor vehicle, and focus on looking out the front of the vessel, particularly when operating on the plane. But the obligation is to keep an all-round 360-degree lookout at all times. That is because a risk of collision may exist even from unexpected quarters, such as from the side or astern. We have acted for a number of unfortunate clients who have been involved in collisions who never saw the other vessel until collision was imminent, and avoiding action was unsuccessful.

The new owner must be aware of the blind spots (such as window frames) and move around the vessel regularly to ensure full situational awareness. If you are tied to the conning station and cannot move around, have one of your crew or companions assist you with keeping an all-round lookout by looking astern and around any obstructions to your vision.

RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) is a useful tool, but be aware of its limitations. RADAR will also have blind spots or areas of reduced performance, and you should be familiar with those areas for your vessel. RADAR also has limitations on performance in poor weather, and is not good at detecting objects with a poor RADAR signature, such as small vessels made from wood or fibreglass. Small tenders, yachts, windsurfers, surf skis and the like are not likely to be picked up by your RADAR at all. And perhaps most importantly, your RADAR will not assist you with keeping a proper lookout if it is not turned on, properly tuned, and set to the correct range scale.

Failure to keep a proper lookout might result in charges being laid under the Queensland marine safety act for failing to operate a vessel safely.

Obligations at Anchor

Obligations at anchor are often misunderstood. Anchoring your vessel does not relieve you of many of your obligations under the collision regulations. It is not like parking your car and turning off the engine. Your vessel is still in a seaway, and at risk of collision. Your vessel is also subject to the action of wind, wave, and tide, and is at risk of dragging anchor.

Consequently, your obligations to keep a proper lookout, and to take action to avoid collision, continue to apply when you are at anchor. The law is to the effect that the master’s obligation is to start the engines, lift the anchor, get underway, and then get out of the way of a vessel that is going to collide with you. Failure to do so is potentially a breach of your general safety obligation to operate your vessel safely.

One consequence of these ongoing obligations while at anchor relates to the responsible use of alcohol. At least one person on board should remain under the 0.05 alcohol limit, so as to be able to take effective action to avoid collision or to respond to any other kind of emergency, such as a fire. Opinions vary on the issue, but it is possible that the master of the vessel at anchor might be breath-tested and charged if found to be over that alcohol limit. While that may be unlikely for recreational vessels, we are aware of commercial masters that have been breath-tested and charged with alcohol-related offences while their vessels were lying safely at anchor.

Insurance

You will of course have insured your new pride and joy with a reputable insurer. But being a prudent person, you have probably also taken asset protection and taxation advice from your professional advisors. They may have recommended that your vessel be owned by a corporate trustee in some kind of trust structure.

Be aware that the fact of corporate ownership will mean that the contract of insurance will be issued under the Marine Insurance Act 1909, rather than the more familiar Insurance Contracts Act 1984. The difference in the legal regimes is significant and can result in an insurance claim being declined unless you are familiar with the requirements.

Conclusion

We certainly do not want to dampen your enthusiasm for your new vessel. But be aware that a step up in size and sophistication of your vessel will change your risk profile, and that may have some legal consequences. Get familiar with your vessel, improve your skills, be aware of your obligations, and as always, be safe on the water.

By John Kavanagh, MER-Director of Legal Solutions

The post Legal Issues for Larger Vessels appeared first on Boat Gold Coast.

“Splash!” The sound of my husband going overboard was hard to miss.

“Don’t worry. He jumps in often to test my skills when he thinks conditions are safe,” I reassured the other couple on board calmly. “He wants to be sure I can rescue him if he does go overboard by accident. Can someone keep pointing to him while I turn the boat around and brief you on what to do?”

Thankfully, I never needed to rescue my husband in an emergency, although he did fall overboard once by accident when we were gunkholing up a creek. Sometimes, in the wee hours when I dwell on our divorce, I wish I had not rescued him on that occasion. (But that is another story over a few drinks with my girlfriends!)

That was many years ago, but his approach to safety has stayed with me. My then-husband was an experienced single-handed offshore sailor and navigator. It would have been all too easy to leave anything remotely hard to him and just be crew. However, there were times when I was on deck by myself and had to be competent to manage. Apart from the man overboard drills, he used to give me pop quizzes, asking me things like: “Do you know where you are now?” which often involved looking on a chart because we had no GPS back then.

Does this ring any bells with you? Do you do that with your crew? Or, if you are crew, does your skipper do that with you? If so, you may be in the minority or at the very least an underwhelming majority. Talking to couples candidly about their knowledge while researching this article, I discovered a surprising lack of knowledge, especially when the crew was the female partner of the skipper.

One woman in her 60s, whose partner had owned boats ever since she could remember, said she would not even know which side of a channel marker to go on, let alone make a radio call for help. They had boated together for years and her husband had already had one heart attack, thankfully ashore.

So, what are the essentials you need to know, and how can you learn them?

Obviously, you can train your crew yourself, as my husband did with me. You should also give anyone new on your boat an in-depth safety briefing, and as an added safety precaution mount an emergency checklist in a prominent location. However, if it is your partner, a boat licence course is a good idea to ensure marital bliss is not compromised – because it can be hard teaching someone close to you. Brisbane Coast Guard takes it a step further, recommending anyone remotely likely to be left in charge to sign up to a boat licence course.

Remember the boat safety campaign, “You’re the skipper – you’re responsible”? By law, the bottom line is that the skipper is responsible. Just like the regular skipper, the fall-back skipper should be licensed, know how to drive the vessel, know the rules of the sea-road, and be responsible for passenger safety.

It does not have to be an emergency situation before a crew member has to take over sometimes. On one occasion, I was handed the helm at short notice when the skipper had been drinking and the Water Police were approaching. Another was on an offshore passage when the skipper decided to retire below with a bottle of whisky, and only surfaced days later.

Back to the ideal scenario – getting some training and ideally your boat licence or an equivalent sail-training qualification. What is Plan B if you have not done that?

Brisbane Coast Guard media officer Harvey Shore says crew should only take over as skipper if they are competent to do so. If they are not, they should immediately take these five actions, and skippers should brief their novice crew-cum-passengers accordingly:

1. Stop the vessel by either dropping the sail or putting throttles to neutral, and stopping the motor.
2. Drop the anchor.
3. Get everyone to put on lifejackets.
4. Establish the vessel’s exact location by using local knowledge, or the GPS chart plotter, or by identifying landmarks.
5. Call for help, either by radioing Coast Guard on VHS Channel 16, or by dialling 000 on a mobile phone and asking for Water Police.

The Coast Guard also recommends every boat should be equipped with a VHF radio because phone reception can be unreliable. Crew should obviously be taught how to use the radio as back-up. Radios should be tuned to Channel 16, the emergency frequency, and 73, the general communications channel. The Coast Guard also monitors channels 21, 67 and 81.

For added peace of mind, Mr Shore says boat owners can join the Coast Guard’s marine-assist program, which is like an on-water RACQ. Coast Guard volunteers are trained in first-aid, so they are well equipped to deal with medical emergencies.

“Ah, well, chances are nothing will happen to us,” I can hear you say as you read this. Sadly, safety is not something that only “other” people need to worry about. Over the past five years, the Brisbane Coast Guard has been called out thousands – yes, thousands – of times to rescue stranded skippers and their passengers in our local waters. In six of these, the skipper was also disabled because of a medical emergency. While we all hope every outing will be idyllic, the reality is that accidents can happen, so it pays to be prepared. Safety may not be sexy, but it is something we all need to be aware of.

(May-Aug2017)

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The Hero’s Journey

The important role of Australian naturalist David Fleay is the starting point of a program called, “The Hero’s Journey”, offered by Tallebudgera Beach School (TBS).

In the early 50’s, Fleay set aside a preservation area by the Tallebudgera estuary for its flood-free forested slopes and gullies, as well as its rich local biodiversity and many Aboriginal relics. After a few years (and a huge effort of Mr Fleay), the David Fleay Wildlife Park was founded in West Burleigh, the final destination for the students of Narangba State School from Brisbane, that were visiting TBS that week.

“The Hero’s Journey” involves not only the environmental awareness about waterways and the mangroves. It also helps students to find personal characteristics that can contribute to the group’s challenge, according to different passions and interests. “The canoes are part of students going on that journey to discover a little bit about themselves and trusting others whilst learning about the environment and waterways,” says Amy Park, a teacher of TBS.

Armed with their paddles, students have to cruise the channel to Fleay’s sanctuary, which also means, for many of them, leaving their comfort zone. “Digital technologies tend to keep students spending a lot more time in front of screens. It’s definitely starting to show that basic outdoor living rates are going down, and it may affect their physical abilities, their coordination,” Amy explains.

In fact, that was a windy morning and kids had to struggle a little bit paddling together to get to the park. But it was a fun activity anyway, and definitely worth it. When we arrived at Fleay’s sanctuary, we saw ourselves surrounded by the wide variety of trees, birds, snakes, koalas, crocodiles and many other species nested in the park.

“It’s all about interacting with the environment and being a part of it. The byproduct of today’s activity is that students discover a new skillset in relation to canoeing. And certainly today, with the environmental focus and the significance of looking after areas such as the Tallebudgera Creek, we educate the kids in the importance of these environments. It’s wonderful to take them out to see the real life, being a part of it,” explains Dale Mills, principal of TBS.

Mills also states that outdoor activities may require a higher level of responsibility as well. “The logistic to remove students from the classroom involves certain inherent dangers, so we need to ensure the staff is fully qualified for driving boats. That’s not a skillset that every teacher would have.”

A floating classroom

In northern Gold Coast, we boarded the Educat, a powerboat owned by the Jacobs Well Environmental Education Centre (JWEEC). The 12-meter catamaran was designed to take students to normally inaccessible study sites, uniting the convenience of a classroom with the fieldwork dynamism. The vessel is berthed at the Horizon Shores Marina and operates between Jacobs Well, Stradbroke Island, and Moreton Bay.

We cruised along with 11 students to learn about the mangroves of the area. The mission was to learn about the local flora and fauna, and the processes that affect the environment and its food chains. Onboard Educat, students have the opportunity to collect data on the water properties, such as temperature, salinity and depth, as well as observing the plants and animals captured by the trawl net attached to the boat.

“Today we are doing a sample trawl. As we have guidelines on how to handle the creatures, we record the information and release everything we catch alive. So, for students who have never been on a boat or done any fishing, this is a completely unique experience,” explains JWEEC’s Marine Programs officer, Peter Veijalainen.

For Steven Rowell, principal of JWEEC, practical classes are a great opportunity to make students feel themselves as agents of change: “All of our programs are experiential and students learn by doing. We hope each student leaves the program with a healthy knowledge and respect for the natural and cultural environment.”

By Daniela Grimberg

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TBS Canoes

The Tallebudgera Beach School canoes are made of fibreglass and were specifically designed with seats in the middle. These features not only provide extra strength and durability for daily use, but also the ability to seat two extra passengers, so it’s possible to have up to four students per canoe. The school also uses kayaks made of polypropylene, which is a lighter and a more durable material.

The Educat

Educat is a purpose-built boat 14 years ago and has the ability to drive up onto the beach and put people onto an island from a boarding ramp at the front, which makes it unique in a sense that not many other boats can do that. The boat is powered by twin diesel engines and its layout was designed as a large classroom, which can sit around 40 students.

The vessel can perform animal and plankton sample trawls and sediment grabs. Groups can also do snorkeling activities over the side. The maintenance of the catamaran receives good support from the local marina and is also used by university students in order to collect data for academic researches.

Besides Educat, JWEEC has two timber dories and canoes. The dories were built by students 25 years ago, based on an English fishing boat. They are able to get into very shallow waters and are safe watercrafts, so young students can get the opportunity to have a drive under staff supervision. The seven three-seat canoes are used on the Pimpama River and other confined waterways nearby. It allows students to sneak up on sea birds, kangaroos, snakes, ospreys, turtles and other species.

For more information:

jacobseec.eq.edu.au

thebeachschool.eq.edu.au

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In South East Queensland, newcomers to 4×4 driving will usually have their first off-road experience on sand. However, if you get it wrong, you may be hours away from help while placing those you love in serious danger. Without the right knowledge, a debut on sand can lead to disasters such as getting stuck in quicksand, rolling your car down a dune, or even floating away with the tide.

Driving on sand requires special care. The driver must be prepared for the ever-changing sand environment. By following the tips set out below, you will help protect these areas, and have a safe enjoyable visit.

Research your location

In Australia, most beach driving locations are well documented by your car hire company. The local council and tourist information websites, and other online resources outline in detail which beaches permit the use of vehicles. At more popular locations, there will be clearly marked access routes and signage explaining where you can and cannot go. To avoid unnecessary damage to the already fragile ecosystems, it is advisable to use established access routes, which are typically better options for your vehicle. Pay attention to signs, avoid night driving, and remember that not all beaches are safe to drive on.

Prepare your Vehicle

The lighter your 4WD, the less likely it will be stuck in soft sand. Reduce your load by removing any objects, fixtures or fittings that will not be required for the trip. Load your vehicle evenly, with heavy items stored low. Uneven or heavy loads on roof racks can cause a vehicle to roll over. By packing smart, it will be easier to have your passengers alight and to offload your gear from the vehicle before driving out of a sticky situation.

You need adequate distance under your vehicle. Do not bottom out on the crests, which will cause you to slow and become bogged. The clearance between the ground and underside of the car should be greater than 18cm.

You can lower your tyre pressure to increase the surface area making contact with the sand. This will provide better traction on slippery surfaces. For most 4WD vehicles that have a recommended road driving pressure of 32-38psi, you can lower pressure to 25psi, but not lower than 18psi. Note that some sand driving areas around Australia require an even lower tyre pressure, so it is best to research advice about each location. Be mindful that low tyre pressure means the vehicle will respond differently, such as delay in steering and braking response times. Remember to always re-inflate your tyres to the recommended pressure when you drive back on sealed surfaces.

Before you drive onto the sand, engage locking hubs and 4WD. While driving, select low gears for soft, dry sand, and avoid sharp turns and sudden braking.

Be Prepared for whatever

Driving on the sand will require you to be constantly alert for potential hazards. Check the times for low tide using a tides chart. You should travel on the sand at low tide, or within two hours either before or after low tide. This is the best time, as the sand will be firm and you will have time to reach your destination. You should choose a driving line on the harder sand between the waterline and the high tide mark. Avoid the salt water.

Take care in crossing creeks and streams where you may become stuck. Before crossing, it is best to check the depth of the water by walking across the creek. While driving with your 4WD, never stop mid-stream to avoid getting stuck.

Sand does not provide much traction. To avoid becoming bogged, you must maintain a momentum or be slightly increasing your speed. If you do become stuck, which is inevitable, accept this fact as part of your off-road experience. You should have all the essential recovery equipment to help get you out, such as a shovel, a towrope, a snatch strap, shackles, traction tracks, a winch, a lift jack, and a compressor.

Obey the rules

Even if the surface you are driving on may be different, the normal road rules apply on the beach and on inland tracks. Never drive tired or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Use your indicators when overtaking or turning. Keep to the left of oncoming traffic. All persons in the vehicle must wear seatbelts at all times. The speed limits apply on beaches, so know what they are, while you obey the road signs.

You are driving on the sand for fun and recreation, so make it an enjoyable and positive experience by being overly courteous to others. Keep a safe distance behind other vehicles. Always give way to traffic coming downhill. Heavy vehicles and those with trailers have right-of-way in most situations. Always use the passing bays provided, and slow down and drive carefully where there are pedestrians.

Be mindful of the environment you are in. Respect flora and fauna in the area. It is illegal to drive across sand dunes or over coastal vegetation. Drive slowly around, not through, flocks of birds. Beaches and dunes are important breeding and roosting sites for birds. Be aware, from November to March the sand dunes along the southeast coastline are nesting and hatching sites for green and loggerhead turtles. If you are approached by dingoes, stay in your vehicle.

Driving on the beach is a wildly exciting way to enjoy the coastlines. Your primary responsibility is to ensure that you and your passengers are safe. Take your time and operate your vehicle mindfully to avoid injury, while enjoying the wonders of the natural surroundings.

In an emergency Dial 000. If no mobile reception, try 112. Carry a well-stocked first-aid kit and know how to use it.

By Andy Kancachian, with information from Queensland Government, Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing.

(Feb-Apr2017)

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