Rescued fisherman slammed over equipment
Police have criticised two fishermen who were rescued off Mandurah overnight for carrying no emergency equipment.
Guided by a police helicopter, the Mandurah Water Rescue Group found the men and their dog in Cox Bay about 2am.
They did not have an EPIRB, flare, radio system or mobile phone on their boat.
The men, aged 51 and 58, had enjoyed a day's fishing at James Service Reef before they became lost and ran out of fuel.
One of their wives called water police about 10pm to report them missing.
Police spokesman Sam Dinnison said just before 2am, the police helicopter identified a boat that had not moved.
The volunteers from the Mandurah Water Rescue Group had to change vessels before towing them to Ravenswood.
"The rescue team had to change boats to get to them because of the shallow water," he said. "We're happy we rescued them but we're not really impressed that they had no equipment.
"If they had any of that equipment, it would have made things a lot easier."
I hope they throw the book at them. 4 hour search, what a waste or resources. They should also make them pay the cost and skipper should loose his RST.
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Tank
Posts: 358
Date Joined: 12/05/12
A classic
A classic example of a rescue that should never had been required...waste of resources....waste of volunteer hours...waste of money....wonder if they donate to VMR groups...send them the bill....impound the boat indefinitley....and the tow car for 28 days...total disregard for rules and regs let alone common sence....o sorry I thought common sence was missing in the current generation...how wrong am I....frikken idiots
Buz
Posts: 1555
Date Joined: 28/08/07
Not condoning going out to
Not condoning going out to sea without the legally required safety gear. But wouldnt it be more of a waste of resources if the sea rescue equipment wasnt used? I mean that is the role of sea rescue, going out and helping/rescuing people, regardless of how they got into the situation. Obviously these guys didnt have any means of communication back to land, but even if they did, they still would have had to be helped(would have come quicker and been easier to find them in theory though).
To me good on the sea rescue amd other agencies for helping them out, but in the end that is their role/job. If they dont like helping out people that get themselves into problems, even if they cause it themselves, then dont do the job/volunteer. I never think resources are 'wasted' if used in the role of rescue/helping people, regardless of how stupid/pointless/silly the situation may be. If equipment, resources and manpower are used for their intended purpose then i feel its not wasted. But its only my take on it, so neither right or wrong.
Kudos to all people out there who serve out communites and country, whether career or volunteers, god knows we would be be up shit creek without you.
chris raff
Posts: 3257
Date Joined: 09/02/10
Agree there Buz ...even
Agree there Buz ...even though there's a good chance of being savaged lol... however they should be fined for whatever legal obligations they didn't meet ...Wheres cox bay ?? sounds like they could've walked to the shoreline
“Intelligence is like a four-wheel drive. It only allows you to get stuck in more remote places.”
Iceman
Posts: 747
Date Joined: 17/03/09
Costs to volunteers
Obviuosly you are aware of the cost to sea rescue groups for this sort of stupidity. Government funding only covers half our operating costs, especially the cost ofg fuel. The rest comes from donations and corporate sponsorship. I am sure those who do donate would not be happy with the waste of resources and money to find these idiots. Same goes for thsoe who run out of fuel. We had a vessel run out of fuel 17nm of Hillarys and Fremantle bought a vessel back from the Rotto tench who had run out fuel.
If they had an epirb or flares they would have been located in less than 1 hour not the 4 hours it took to find them.
I have no problem assisting those who make an effort to assist themselves first, and this starts with having the right safety gear and enough fuel for the trip.
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chris raff
Posts: 3257
Date Joined: 09/02/10
Personally, I think you guys
Personally, I think you guys + volunteer fireys etc.. should be funded 100% and on good wages .. it's a strange set up that confuses me
“Intelligence is like a four-wheel drive. It only allows you to get stuck in more remote places.”
Buz
Posts: 1555
Date Joined: 28/08/07
Iceman i know it probably
Iceman i know it probably frustrates you and other sea rescue groups to no end, when you have to go to the assistance or rescue of seemingly silly people/situations. But that is your role. Its not your place to decide if someone should be rescued or not based on how they got into the situation or how much effort they have put into helping themselves. Yes its probably frustrating but if it wasnt for all the silly(and legitimate) situations you are called out to you probably wouldnt have a role, or even funding. Eg look at the most well funded and well equiped sea rescue departments across Australia and you'll probably find that most are in the higher populated areas, because there is probably more situations that require their services in these places.
Same with Voluteer Bushfire brigades. You'll find the areas that have more cases of bushfires(or alot of arson) will have a bigger budget to meet the need.
So people going out doing silly things and you guys going out and helping them, in a kind of bad way actually helps justify the funding and need for you. The more cases you get, the more justification you would have for extra funding.
But like i said earlier in the end Volunteers are just that, Volunteers, if it ever gets to much or feel like you are risking your life to often you can always quit. Sometimes your own life or sanity arent worth it.
Not trying to lessen the tremendous value you guys and girls are to the community and the great respect i hold for you's and what you do, but in the end cases like this help justify your role. Not entirely, but does help.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Options for Sea Rescue
We have the option that we can chose on what to do, if we don't like a situation we can offer to take them off the boat and because we deem it a risk to our boat or crew in towing them back in, if they refuse our help we can sit back and watch or return home. It all comes down to the skipper or the commanders judgement.
Sadly , we have to deal with the idiots as well as those who are really in trouble. We had one 12 months back with a bloke who bought a 40 foot ferro cement, live aboard yacht , got his rec ticket and promptly would run aground 5-6 times each time he attempted to go out of the channel, ending up with us towing him back to his mooring. When he finally got out to sea with an inexperienced crew of backpackers, who had paid for the trip, they couldn't start the engine while anchored some 4nm east of the islands in 30 knot winds. I had a long conversation with water police about towing them back because they had sails that were in good condition and hadn''t even tried to use them. It came down to tow them in and we will work it out later, once we arrived on scene they wanted us to pull the anchor for them ---SORRY----, its your anchor , tie a rope and marker buoys to it and dump it. After some 20 minutes arguing over went the marker buoy and we marked it on the GPS for him.
Finally after a shocking 5 hour tow in at 6 knots in real shit conditions he asked when were we going to collect his anchor. My reply isn't fit for these pages.
Buz
Posts: 1555
Date Joined: 28/08/07
Yep and its examples like
Yep and its examples like that why i respect what Sea Rescue do. That despite the seemingly complete disregard for common sense that boatie had, you still assisted, multiple times!
It is a shame that the RST doesnt work more like a car drivers licence. In that with a Car Licence you cant just get it in one day(logged hours required), are seeminly more required to prove you can handle it and if you abuse the privellege of having it you lose it.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
RST
Was talking to our DoT boss and the local officer about him losing his RST, he has to commit the same offence 3 times before they can even look at it unlike commercial qualification where it would be gone after 1.
They stopped him by posting an inspection order on his boat , preventing it from being moved until they inspect it, he hasn't been seen near his boat in 6 months
uncle
Posts: 9491
Date Joined: 10/02/07
what a load of crap
can't believe this sort of crap,wtf why would you even bother with a post like that, if your not happy helping others f .... off, bet the sea rescue guys love that
all aggressive fish love bigjohnsjigs
uncle
Posts: 9491
Date Joined: 10/02/07
their out there
unblievable that they have such scant disregard for their own lives or the lives of others, I'm part of having all the gear and extra fuel is maybe help others out as well,staggering.
all aggressive fish love bigjohnsjigs
Willlo
Posts: 1490
Date Joined: 07/10/11
Wonder if the boat was
Wonder if the boat was registered ?
Call Sign - BZ785
Haynes Hunter Prowler CC
Iceman
Posts: 747
Date Joined: 17/03/09
Haha
LOL
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Auslobster
Posts: 1901
Date Joined: 03/05/08
Towed to Ravenswood?
No wonder they ran out of fuel...would have to be a good 15 nautical miles to James Service! And why tow them all the way back to where they launched from? Take 'em to the nearest ramp/jetty and let them sort out the rest!
CityFlicker
Posts: 524
Date Joined: 31/01/13
I don't think there's
I don't think there's anything wrong with Iceman venting a bit over these sort of idiots. Rescuing/protecting people that get into trouble can be extremely frustrating, especially seeing how most of them get into trouble because of thier own stupidity,ignorance or neglect. Having to rescue people that have simply run out of fuel just shouldn't ever have to happen & it's only made worse by the fact that the people involved didn't have any means of being located (flares, radio etc). I havn't owned a boat for a long time now so have never done my RST but surely they teach the rule of thirds (1/3 to get there, 1/3 to get back & 1/3 just in cast) & teach people that the first thing you need to do is check how much fuel is on board. I understand that sometimes shit happens but this kind of thing is a bit beyond your average stupidity.
Just because I smile & nod does not mean I believe the crap coming out of your mouth.
All people have the right to stupidity but some abuse the privilege.
Shane O
Posts: 926
Date Joined: 22/01/10
No safer gear
They should be fined and no warning lol
sea-kem
Posts: 15028
Date Joined: 30/11/09
I came across two Italian
I came across two Italian fellas once on my way to rotto about 3/4 of the way there. The boat they were in was totally un suitable for being out that far. Anyway they were broken down and wanted me to tow them back to Woodies. WHen I said no I would call up rescue for them and wait with them they got pissed off. I told them politely I had just driven all this way out and wasn't going to waste my fuel on their stupidity. So I backed the boat away and waited for rescue. Those rescue guys wre awesome kept in radio contact with me the whole time and came over and thanked me personally for staying with the clowns.To this day I still can't get over the attitude the idiots showed for their own idiocy.
Love the West!
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Worse?
Was towing a broken down boat back to Carnarvon from Koks Island when we got a call from our base/ shack up at the Blowholes camp that a bloke in a dinghy had disappeared when heading out from up there in swells running around 3 -3.5 metres. Those who know the Blows area will know that it closes out in anything over 3 metres.
We made sure our tow was ok with being dropped and set off for the Blows, no knowing what we would find, giving a call through to Carnarvon base to organise our second boat to pick up our tow .
After a bit of searching we came across this old bloke happily fishing without a worry in the world in his 3 metre tinny with 15hp on the back, no safety gear except for hand held 27 meg radio that was turned off. In no uncertain terms we let him know what was going on ashore with everyone lining the shore looking out for him. His comment was that would his missus know what he had done, You bet!!! she was in the shack listening to our radio calls.
After he reasured us that he could get in, we sat outside the break and watched him make his way safely to shore then headed back south toward where we dropped the other boat off arriving there at the same time as the second rescue vessel. Picked up the tow again and back home.
Sadly the blokes in the broken down boat never managed to get a fish, they broke down on shit bottom and we dropped them on the desert, but at least they got a line in.
Rob H
Posts: 5807
Date Joined: 18/01/12
personally
I feel pretty strongly that there should be NO avenue to charge for a rescue (even Tony Bullimore type cases) EXCEPT in the case of a hoax call.
Its something that gets discussed regularly in cases like the bushwalker who had "a couple of potatoes and some bread" in the Blue Mountains, Bullimore etc.
Last thing we want is a precident of some desk jockey deciding whether and experienced (or otherwise) skipper should pay for a helicopter becuase he will likely be saying "if you needed rescuing you cant have been fully prepared".
You also dont want the missus thinking "I wont ring in case hes got a flat tyre and we get a bill", when hes actually floating around 10 miles out to sea in the drink.
Maybe, being a mariner myself, I see it differently even though I have towed, searched, assisted and rescued on a few occasions over the years.
Fining for not carrying the correct gear is of course something else though, and is the correct avenue I believe for "punishing" these cases of negligence as opposed to a hoax call.
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
just dhu it
Posts: 1081
Date Joined: 14/05/09
Perspectives
Different perspectives on all cases and all volunteer groups , dick head cases where they simply run out of fuel or battery goes flat same as kids light a fire on a vacant block and fireys put it out and no one is hurt , Darwin awards where some tool buys a $70 k boat and has $ 2 worth of intelligence doesn't know how to read a GPS or use a radio ,as does a family having a BBQ in the bush and starts a large scrub fire , , other person light a fire which wipes out large property's ,houses and lives for some sort of enjoyment , other have a boat and go out with no regards to what equipment they should have as a minimum or legally , The two guys very lucky after being found ,
Buz if these two guys where your relatives and had drowned at sea the view on the situation may change knowing that police or sea rescue boats could have got to them in a very short time , or in this case towed in as soon as they had run out of fuel had they owned a radio or even better had the required flares on board , a simply 27 meg radio for $150.00 would have stopped this thread from starting,
Yep I am a member of a group and it amazes me how many boats still go out to sea and don't log in with the radio tower I wold guess that we only get 1 in 5 log in and out across the three marinas we monitor