Report From Pens & Moorings Chairman
By Brian Cross
An incident here at the club on Sunday highlighted the importance of regular checks and regular maintenance of vessels penned at the club. Of particular importance is a vessels electrical system. So what happened?
A person walking along jetty 2 noticed the bow thruster on a vessel working when there was no one in attendance. The person asked who the Duty Officer was. Fortunately, the person whom he asked was our Bosun Robbie Wilson who just happened to be here with his family attending the Children’s Christmas party.
Bosun Robbie raced down to the boat and located the key. He entered the boat which was at this time full of smoke and isolated the batteries. Robbie also contacted me and, only being a few minutes away, I also raced down. Robbie called the water police and advised them that the boat was generating smoke but no flames were visible. The water police then instructed him to contact the fire brigade.
An immediate decision was made to remove the boat from the pen to ensure no risk to other vessels. With the fire brigade on their way, a decision was made by me to move the vessel to a finger on the western hardstand where the brigade could have access to the vessel and if the vessel did erupt into flames the risk was minimal. The presence of children and the set up for the party in front of jetty 2 contributed to the decision. Timing plays a big part in these things and by the time we towed the vessel to the western hardstand, the Vipers were coming in from their state title races. They were very understanding and gave us plenty of room to dock the vessel.
The arrival of the fire brigade coincided with the docking the vessel. The fire brigade proceeded to manage the situation. It took them about an hour to cool the smouldering wiring down and then place a monitor on the vessel. They left when they were 100% certain that the vessel was safe.
A couple of key highlights came out of this situation
- As members, we need to make ourselves aware of what to do if you spot something wrong in the club.
- Emergencies can happen even during major events at the club.
- Be very aware of the requirements of the club when using the marina facilities i.e. Electrical safety compliance and marine fire and safety compliance. Make sure your vessel is up to date.
Just remember, it is our responsibility to ensure our vessels are safe for ourselves and our fellow marina users.
Also a big thank you to the Viper sailors for their understanding and assistance in our emergency.
Happy and “Safe” boating.
