Marine Rescue off Cape Barren Island

At 0800hrs Friday, 27^th February 2015, Australian Search and Rescue in Canberra detected an EPIRB activation off the coast of Cape Barren Island.  The police vessel Relentless was launched from Lady Barron along with a fixed wing rescue aircraft from Essendon and the Westpac Police Rescue Helicopter from Hobart.

Around 1030hrs two men were located on the east coast of Cape Barron Island after abandoning their vessel which had run aground overnight.  Both men were found to be safe and well and were winched aboard the Westpac Police Rescue Helicopter and flown to St Helens.

The vessel was originally part of a group of three vessels which ran into trouble last night after dragging and breaking anchors.  The distressed vessel in question had separated from the other two and sought shelter but also dragged anchor during the night and ran aground, forcing both men to abandon ship.  There was no damage to the vessel itself.

The rescued men were a 39 year old from Launceston and a 36 year old from Cressy.

This is the fourth marine rescue incident in as many days off the east coast of Tasmania.

Another vessel ran aground 6NM east of Bridport in the early hours of this morning after hitting a reef at St Albans Bay. Search and Rescue responded however the boat owner was high and dry but safe and He decided to salvage his vessel after daylight.  No further police intervention required.

There were two other EPIRB activations last weekend. One rescue in Franklin Sound off Flinders Island where two men were found adrift after their vessel broke down; they were rescued by the police vessel. The second was off Cape Portland, the crew were rescued by the Westpac Police Rescue Helicopter after their vessel ran into rocks and they needed to be winched to safety.

This is a timely reminder to ensure that, when boating, people carry the appropriate safety equipment.  Police ask that you check all the expiry dates on your equipment to ensure that they are current.  If you are carrying an EPIRB please ensure that it is correctly registered with AUSSAR with current contact details.  All of these rescues mentioned above were possible because appropriate safety equipment was being carried.