Two men missing in South Australian waters off Port Lincoln

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by GILow

..........
(It was a topic of concern to me a few years ago when I was deciding whether to keep the AM radio on the boat. I was convinced by the VMR guys that two VHF radios would be better than one of each.)

..........

The VMR guys were 1,000% correct .

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by Wotname

The VMR guys were 1,000% correct .

Except that there is an awful lot of Australian coast which does not have VHF coverage. Since they're fairly cheap these days I carry a spare and also have HF which I know is still monitored on the emergency frequencies by the feds.

I tend to the opinion that the critical one is the EPIRB, which prevents searches by converting them to immediate response rescues. Unfortunately they tend to be a little expensive for some people. A little more indoctrination on it's use might help.

To give there blokes their due they did not precipitate the search and consequently should not bear the costs.

[NaClyDog]

Originally Posted by GILow

At the end of the day I think the authorities are inclined to be pragmatic. Nobody died performing the search, it was good practice, the whole event made the news so people heard about the great work the SAR teams do and finally, the boat operators in question seem to have been appropriately apologetic for the fuss they caused.

Good practice? Didn't the authorities actually call off the search because they didn't / couldn't find them?


Maybe they need a little more practice.

[GILow]

Well, true, but if the boat HAD been in trouble it most likely would have been in that area.

[JPA Cate]

Just my pov, but I am glad they made their way to safety. And, when you're a low bucks outfit, who have heard the rescue charges imposed by some VMR (volunteer marine rescue) outfits, I can see why they chose to not call for help. Had someone been out there with them who understood the meaning of the red flares, that person would have gone to investigate, and possibly been able to provide communications. To this end, ham radio clubs often have sales of older HF radios that still work, and for the price of a ham ticket, folks could use the ham nets to get help. Someone is always on, depending on propagation, and hams will handle emergency traffic for people who do not have ham licenses, too.

Ann, who is still glad they're safe

[Skins]

Aviation or Maritime SAR costs are not recoverable from individuals or organisations. It's Australia's role to provide SAR within our area of responsibility.

Organisations like VMRs can charge for their services but if they were tasked by AMSA to assist in SAR then they would be paid by AMSA.

It's a weird myth that pops up regularly. It would be absolutely unproductive to recover costs.

[Mr B]

VMR's can charge for services rendered, But its voluntary whether you pay them or not,

[Skins]

Originally Posted by Mr B

VMR's can charge for services rendered, But its voluntary whether you pay them or not,

I didn’t know that. I assumed if you call them for a tow that u would have to pay their fees. Does membership give you a free tow?

It wouldn’t be good karma not to make a sizeable donation if they helped you.

I’ve never used their services as we have very limited coverage in Darwin.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Skins

I didn’t know that. I assumed if you call them for a tow that u would have to pay their fees. Does membership give you a free tow?



It wouldn’t be good karma not to make a sizeable donation if they helped you.



I’ve never used their services as we have very limited coverage in Darwin.

I might just once have run aground in a very embarrassing manner. The VMR guys came out and pulled me off the sand bank. They insisted that there was nothing to pay.

But I did deliver them a slab of beer that afternoon. It seemed the least I could do. Partly because they were too polite to comment on what an idiot I had been.

[RaymondR]

I just went onto the Whitworth catalogue to see what their cheapest EPIRB and discovered a note which states "Important Notice - Eustralian maritime safety regulations now require all coastal and offshore vessels more than 2NM from the coast to carry a 406 EPIRB (PLBs do NOT meet the safety requirements for Boat EPIRB).".

In the past the requirements for safety equipment on pleasure vessels was a state responsibility. Looks like the feds are getting into the action through AMSA.

The cheapest EPIRB is $246 which is about the same as the cheapest VHF.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

I just went onto the Whitworth catalogue to see what their cheapest EPIRB and discovered a note which states "Important Notice - Eustralian maritime safety regulations now require all coastal and offshore vessels more than 2NM from the coast to carry a 406 EPIRB (PLBs do NOT meet the safety requirements for Boat EPIRB).".

In the past the requirements for safety equipment on pleasure vessels was a state responsibility. Looks like the feds are getting into the action through AMSA.

The cheapest EPIRB is $246 which is about the same as the cheapest VHF.

Its been compulsory in Vic for over 10 years, 2 miles off shore. Epirbs,
They changed to 406 also about 10 years ago from 316 or some thing like that, as they phased out the earlier type.
It must be registered with AMSA, With onshore contact numbers,

Taxpayers pay for the boats the VMR use,
The people running them, are all volunteers,
They do an excellent job,

Membership would be with a local VMR group in your area,
It would allow you to go out on their boats to rescue people if your capable and up to their standards,

I had one VMR bloke guide me into Forster at 2.30 am in a raging storm and a full out going tide as I was losing my Davits, Dinghy, Solar Panels and Back stay off the mast,
All the welds on my dingy Davits had broken off in the storm, and I was worried I was going to lose the mast if the lot went over board, ,

I tried to catch up with him to thank him, But they wouldnt give his name out, So I asked them to pass my thank you on to him,

[Mr B]

Epirbs must be rechecked and new battery every four years, Compulsory also,

[RaymondR]

One of the traps one has to avoid with EPIRBS is the expired battery trap. Many people buy a new unit rather than have the batteries renewed. I used to do it with the old ones because the batteries have in excess of 80% charge left at official expiry.

If you are ever asked whether you ave any other than the current one just say no. People have been given infringement notices for expired EPIRB even though they had a non expired unit aboard.

[Skins]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

People have been given infringement notices for expired EPIRB even though they had a non expired unit aboard.

It's probably the same with flares, PFDs, and fire extinguishers. Need to check all mine.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Mr B

Epirbs must be rechecked and new battery every four years, Compulsory also,

Have you got any evidence for this claim (link etc)?

I'm 99% sure it is incorrect.
AFAIK, the EPIRB simply has to be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's data (and registered of course).

For instance, the KTI SA3G beacon has a 10 year battery life.
https://kti.com.au/sa3g/