Vessel recovery near St Helens today

 At approximately 1.20am today (29/04/2015) the crew of an eight-metre recreational vessel contacted Tasmania Police to advise that they had engine failure.  The vessel was approximately 10 nautical miles East of Falmouth.

Two men from Queensland were travelling from Hobart to Brisbane when they lost all power to the engine.  Weather conditions at the time were fine with only a light wind.  A sea anchor was deployed by the men who were able to provide police with their position using a GPS and a satellite telephone.  The Police Vessel POLSAR III from St Helens travelled to the area and towed the vessel to Binalong Bay without incident.

Tasmania Police were able to locate the vessel without difficulty due to the well-equipped and prepared crew. Police would like to remind all boat users to be aware of how to use their equipment and to be able to readily access their safety equipment if needed during an emergency on the water.