A colourful parade of classic and historic vessels set off around the pristine bays of Port Hacking on Sunday to celebrate the local boating lifestyle and raise awareness about boating safety.
The flotilla was welcomed by Cronulla MP Mark Speakman who rang the ‘official bell’ sending skippers and their crews from Hungry Point to Lilli Pilli Point on a three hour cruise.
A key boating safety message for this year’s Wooden Boat Regatta was for all boaters to log on and log off with Marine Rescue NSW on every voyage, via the free smartphone app or a VHF marine radio on channel 16.
Brad Whittaker who leads the event and is on the MRNSW Training team encouraged local boaters to take advantage of the free Log On safety service.
“It’s a simple process. Tell us where you’re going, how many people on board and when you’re returning”.
“If you haven’t Logged Off as expected and we can’t get in touch with you, we’ll start to search for you. We’ll also have a starting point for a search operation, which saves valuable time,” he said.
The volunteers from Marine Rescue Botany Port Hacking support the NSW Police Marine Area Command in providing a 24/7 rescue service to the local boating community particularly on Port Hacking, Georges River, Botany Bay and associated offshore waters.
Unit Commander Greg Inglis said it was crucial that boaters put safety first on the water.
“Our volunteers are properly trained and resourced for our mission of saving lives on the water, they stand watch over our local waters to rescue boaters who find themselves in trouble.”
Greg’s top tips are for boaters to wear a lifejacket, check the weather, carry sufficient fuel for the voyage, maintain their engine and battery and Log On with their local Marine Rescue radio base.
The Regatta is presented by ColorTile Miranda and Cronulla Real Estate with the fundraising efforts for local volunteers led by Dominelli Ford and Cronulla Ferries.
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