Workboat at pontoon at Gosford Sailing Club

Around 3.00pm on Sunday 25 July, Marine Rescue Central Coast volunteers Jim Robertson, Paul Hanlon and Jack Bree aboard rescue vessel Central Coast 22 were tasked to assist a yacht stranded on a sandbank at Saratoga. On arrival at Saratoga the Marine Rescue crew found a workboat from a Pittwater marina at the site, apparently called by the yacht’s owner. The workboat took a line from the top of the yacht’s mast to lay the yacht over to free the keel, while Central Coast 22 gently towed the yacht to navigable water. During the rescue, the workboat was suddenly capsized throwing the three men onboard into the shallow water.

The men were taken aboard the yacht which then set off for Pittwater. Central Coast 22 crew were requested to tow the capsized workboat to Gosford Sailing Club where it was handed over to a representative of the marina.

Ken Sharp (rear), Karl Liepa (right) and Duncan Coles with ‘rescued’ floating debris aboard Central Coast 21 returning to Point Clare Base

The Marine Rescue Central Coast base received another call for assistance about 4.30pm from a 5.5m bowrider runabout that had a mechanical failure. The boat was stopped just north of The Rip Bridge and the skipper requested a tow to the Lintern Street Ramp. Al Howes and his crew, Karl Liepa, Peter Fischer aboard Central Coast 21 completed the task arriving back at the Marine Rescue Base after dark.

On Saturday a significant hazard to navigation was removed from Brisbane water by the crew, Ken Sharp, Karl Liepa, Duncan Coles and Jack Bree onboard Central Coast 21. It was a large amount of floatation material attached to angle iron found in the channel north of The Rip Bridge. It was taken to the Point Clare Base.