Duty radio operator, Jane Lewis, at Marine Rescue Central Coast had a busy Sunday. Around 12:30 she tasked rescue vessel, Central Coast 21, to attend an 8.5m motor cruiser stranded at Ettalong. There were eight people onboard. Marine Rescue Skipper, Al Howes and his crew, Karl Leipa, Peter Fischer and Duncan Coles found the cruiser hard aground on a falling tide. The vessel was in no danger so the crew recommended it wait for the high tide to get free.

As Central Coast 21 was returning to base, the rescue vessel was flagged down by the three people in a 4.0m runabout. The people explained they had run out of fuel and asked to be towed to their yacht moored in Booker Bay.

While Central Coast 21 was busy with the runabout, at 1:40pm Jane sent Central Coast 22 with Skipper Al Morris and his crew to St Huberts Island to assist a 6.0m cruiser. The four people onboard reported a mechanical problem and the rescue crew towed them to the boat ramp at Lions Park Woy Woy.

At 2:00pm, with both rescue vessels having  boats in tow, Jane tasked Rescue Water Craft, Central Coast 11, to attend Phegans Bay to locate and assist a 5.8m runabout that reported a mechanical failure. Paul Hanlon on Central Coast 11 eventually located the stricken vessel with four people onboard in Waterfall Bay. It was slowly towed to the railway bridge at Woy Woy. Central Coast 22I then took over the tow for the long haul back to the ramp at Gosford.

Marine Rescue volunteers were also busy at the Oyster Festival where the Unit’s Annual Boat Raffle was drawn at 3:00pm. The lucky winner was ticket 00407 held by Deb Frack from Sydney who weekends at Booker Bay.