Boating in unusual times

Nobody in Australia is untouched by the restrictions on movement that have been applied to slow the infection rate of Covid-19. Boat owners have also been advised that there are only very limited reasons why they can use their recreational vessels, and while all our local boat ramps remain open, signs have been erected to clearly state the rules.

Over the Easter weekend, Fisheries Officers appeared over several days, checking the registrations of cars and trailers, and in some cases, issuing warnings about going out for the wrong reason. In addition, from March 31 to May 29 a 100 metre exclusion zone has been placed around Fraser Island.

On Easter Sunday, the Water Police also cruised through the area, moving boats moored within the exclusion zone, and taking details of yachts in the area.

Obviously, our local boaties are not easily deterred, as numbers in the trailer parking zones were only slightly down on previous Easter weekends. Fortunately for the Coast Guard, it was an uneventful holiday period for us, and we were not called out to rescue any vessels.

Although our base is currently closed for public access, we are still operating, and the base is manned from 0600 hours to 1800 hours daily, every day of the year. You can still contact us by radio on Ch 80 or phone on 5486 4290.

You can still pay your Marine Assist Membership over the phone or get information about weather and Wide Bay Bar conditions. Like us on Facebook, we often post helpful information there.

While we no longer have a crew present on the weekends, it is to keep our volunteers safe so that we can have crews on call at short notice, should we need to assist anyone in distress.