Tragedy serves as reminder that calls should be made directly to emergency services

As whale season starts, Yeppoon Coast Guard attended a drifting boat off GKI before 4am on a cold Saturday morning

Yeppoon Coast Guard was kept busy over the past week.

Following the recent tragic boating accident on Moreton Bay, Jim Warren, Flotilla Commander of Coast Guard Yeppoon would like to remind Central Queensland boat owners that the Coast Guard is standing by to help them.

“All boat owners should ensure that they know how to contact the Coast Guard by VHF radio or mobile phone before they start a trip,” he said.

“There is no charge for calling the Coast Guard for information or reporting a dangerous situation.

“Apparently in the incident in Moreton Bay, the boat owner called a relative in the last few seconds before the boat was swamped and overturned.”

Jim Warren said, if possible, the Coast Guard should be contacted as soon as there is concern about bad weather or a malfunction such as a leak becomes apparent.

“Calls should be made directly to Coast Guard or other emergency services, rather than to partners, parents, or friends. Vital information can be missed or delayed if an emergency call is relayed through a third party,” he said.

“Preferably boat owners should register the details of their trip with the Coast Guard and join Marine Assist.

“Members of Marine Assist can now log their trips online without calling the Coast Guard. On long trips, even in good conditions, boaties are encouraged to provide progress reports so that Coast Guard can keep track of their latest location.

“Of course, you should carry the mandatory safety equipment and wear life jackets or have them within reach. Remember that we are now in the whale migration season and a whale strike could occur at any time without warning.

“Boaties are also encouraged to download the Emergency + app on their mobile phone which will provide the coordinates of their location while making an emergency call.

“This provides a backup to the GPS unit which may be out of action due to loss of power. This app can also be used to report locations of accidents on land.”

Yeppoon Coast Guard activities in the past week

Coast Guard received a call last Friday for assistance from a disabled jet ski with two people on board at Pumpkin Island.

Skipper Phil Schefe and crew on Yeppoon Rescue One, left Rosslyn Bay Harbour at 8am, returning with the jet ski under tow at 9.50am. The owner was not a Marine Assist Member.

Another call was received from a 12m cray boat, with two people on board at Barren Island, experiencing trouble with a gearbox and requiring a tow.

Skipper Kingsley Bartle with crew on Yeppoon Rescue One, left Rosslyn Bay Harbour at 11.35am, returning safely at 3.40pm.

On Saturday June 26, Flotilla Commander Jim Warren started the day with a call at 3.50am from a boat owner phoning to report a vessel, adrift from its anchorage at Fisherman’s Beach, Great Keppel Island, had run into his vessel.

The police, using the drifting boat’s registration, helped locate the owner who was called to attend and secure it.

About 6am on Saturday a call for assistance was received from a 12m yacht with four people on board, six nautical miles south of Rosslyn Bay Harbour.

The yacht had been heading north under power when problems developed with the drive system on a newly-installed engine.

The crew then had problems with raising sail.

Skipper Jim Warren and crew on Yeppoon Rescue One left Rosslyn Bay Harbour at 6.20am, returning with the vessel under tow at 8.10am.

The owner indicated he would be joining Marine Assist on return to Brisbane.

Shortly after daybreak, a 4.2m tinnie, was reported adrift and missing from its anchorage at Putney Beach, Great Keppel Island.

However, it was later spotted by the crew on a passing vessel two nautical miles East of Rosslyn Bay and kept in position by deploying its anchor.

Skipper Kingsley Bartle and crew on Yeppoon Rescue One, left Rosslyn Bay Harbour at 9.45am, located the boat and towed it into Rosslyn Bay Harbour at 10.45am.

The short length of anchor line and the overnight 3.0m variation of the tides, was the probable cause of this situation.

The owner who was not a Marine Assist member subsequently arrived and collected his undamaged boat.