Put your lifejacket on!

Coast Guard is expecting that start of the September school holidays and the warmer weather will bring local boaties out by the hundreds to enjoy the fabulous facilities we have all around us. Therefore, we need to be prepared to respond to any request for assistance on the water for the coming spring/summer boating season.

We previously reported on maintenance work to our biggest two boats, and now we are undertaking a full cosmetic refurbishment of our smallest vessel, Rescue 1.

With everything stripped off her, she is being sanded, patched and re-sprayed in traditional pantone yellow. We are hoping she will be back in the water before the school holidays begin, and will resume her job in crew training and as a backup rescue vessel.

Coast Guard has a role to play in public education, and particularly in boating safety. We would like to draw attention to the recent disappearance of two fishermen in Moreton Bay. It was late at night, with strong winds and cold water.

Unused lifejackets were found nearby, and it is feared that the fishermen were not wearing them. Even in warmer water, hypothermia is extremely deadly, and its effects are made far worse if you lose body heat by having to exert energy to stay afloat.

Please remember that a lifejacket can only save you if you are wearing it and they are not easy to find or put on once in the sea. Wear it before you need it!

Safe and enjoyable boating.