For Coastguard Whitianga the winter months are generally slower, especially as bad weather interrupts our fishing trips.  This year has been the same, except that when the weather does play ball the trips out seem to be further afield chasing tuna.

The number of radio calls handled by our unit whilst we’ve had the watch increased by nearly 20% winter.

On the Water, our call outs last month totalled eight. Two were urgent, one being a fisherman having numerous issues and with no communications and five people ending up in the water after their vessel was swamped.  Our thanks to both Whanagapoua fire and local St. Johns for their assistance during the call out and their post incident care.

Our AGM is being held on the 29^th August at 11.00 at the Coastguard shed in Dundas Street. All members are welcome.

The unit will be holding an Open Day on the 27^th September between 11.00am and 3.00pm. We will have both boats on display and our volunteers will be available to show you around and answer any questions on boating, education, membership or becoming a volunteer. Come along for an educational look.

The Alan Jackson Memorial Cadetship cadets are progressing well with everyone passing their Marine VHF Course. They have now moved onto their Day Skipper Theory  as well as developing practical boating skills onboard our Rescue Vessel.  This classroom Rocks!

A gentle reminder please, that when there is a rugby match on, please do not park your vehicle in front of the roller doors of the Coastguard building. If we receive a call out, and the doors are blocked, we have to await the arrival of the Police and then a tow truck before we can get a boat out. These precious wasted minutes could literally be the difference between a great outcome or a not so good one.

Safe boating.
Stuart Brown
President.

November had us busy with 9 call outs,  4 of which related to Tuia.  Our responses included one medical evacuation from Endeavour. The remaining call outs were all of a general nature mostly resulting in tows back to Whitianga.

I attended the Coastguard NZ AGM and National Awards of Excellence presentations this month, where our unit won “National Rescue of the Year Award”. The rescue related to a yacht in trouble with two persons on board in a large operational area in deteriorating conditions at night last year. A huge thank you to all the crew involved in what could have potentially been a fatal night. It was quite a night for all involved but ended well.

The Annual Coastguard Summer raffle will be starting soon and the tickets will be around town including the Countdown carpark.

Please support our Whitianga Coastguard unit by purchasing a ticket directly from us, this way the Unit sees the maximum return of each sale.

The extension of our shed is underway with the concrete pad down and framing underway, all very exciting.

Thank you also to those members who have already paid their annual subscription. To those new boaties looking to join up to Coastguard Membership please remember to join your local unit directly (wherever that may be) as that unit receives the full value of your subscription and continues to help us help you. Joining your local coastguard unit still means you are covered no matter where you break down in NZ.

So, finally a big thank you to the many, many people who helped out during this incredibly busy time for the unit.

Safe boating.

Stuart Brown

President – Whitianga Volunteer Coastguard

To prepare for summer we want to train you how to co-ordinate our service to Whitianga’s boating public. You will learn how to respond to VHF radio calls and use our computerised recording and charting systems. While most calls are trip reports, you will also learn how to deal with emergencies, recording key information, passing it on to the Duty Officer, maintaining contact with our crews on the water, and keeping the distressed boatie up to date with progress. It can be an exciting time.

You don’t need boating experience or marine knowledge although that would help. You do need at least average keyboard skills, the ability to keep calm in emergencies, and the capacity to accurately record both alpha and numeric information.

Our monthly rosters are flexible (just ask our Roster Officer!), but generally, during summer, you will be asked to do a couple of 4 hour shifts a week during daylight hours. This drops to one shift a week in winter, on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. We also have one continuing education session on the first Thursday evening of each month.

Coastguard offers a 24/7 service; other Coastguard Radio Operators back us up during off-peak hours.

If you are interested, or want to come to the Operations Room first, to have a look, I would be delighted to hear from you.

Ron Aylan-Parker

Radio Operator

027 2800 576

June is historically a slower month out on the water and this year was no exception.
Only four call outs this month with one being urgent. This was related to a group of kayakers on rocks with conditions described as ugly.  5 People in 4 kayaks were assisted by our team.
The remaining call outs were of a general nature, with all being towed back to safety to either Whitianga or Kuoatunu.
 
However, as per usual, behind the scenes work continues unabated with over 100 hours of training completed, ongoing planning for the scallop festival weekend, planning for the Tuia 250 celebrations, shed extension workings continue, updating the software for our VHF digital platform to name but a few of the activities that we are working on.

A reminder that your Coastguard Whitianga Membership will be due again on 1st October.   

You will receive notification either by post or by email shortly.
With Coastguard NZ now competing for members, people have the option to join either their local unit (where ever that maybe) or the Coastguard NZ National membership scheme.
Membership of either scheme provides free assistance to the member no matter where they are when they require assistance on the water.
The main difference in buying membership with your local coastguard Unit is that all the funds you pay go direct to the unit.  If you decide to join the National scheme, your unit, if nominated,  will only receive a small percentage of your membership subscriptions.
If you have any questions about membership, do not hesitate to contact us
 

Our cadets have been progressing extremely well and will soon be completing their In Water Survival and First Aid certificates and assessments.  Then its final Day Skipper exams and presentation day.   You can see some of the pictures of the cadets in action on our Facebook page.

Whitianga Coastguard has its
Annual General Meeting at 11.00 am on the 31^st August 2019 in the Coastguard shed at Dundas Street.
All members are welcome to attend.

Safe and Happy Boating
Stuart Brown
President
Whitianga Coastguard

The Whitianga Coastguard Unit is at the moment looking for volunteer radio operators.
If any new volunteers can get their training underway during the quiet of winter, they will be ready for the busy summer season.

A Coastguard radio operator is a “professional” volunteer job with a difference.
The Whitianga Coastguard radio operators go through comprehensive training, enabling them to work with some of the most advanced voiceover IP communications and incident reporting technology in New Zealand.
The role of the radio operator is an integral part of the Coastguard’s marine incident response to incidents at sea. It is a volunteer
role which provides not just training, but also growth paths to other roles in the organisation with greater leadership opportunities and the opportunity to work within an organisation known for great culture and camaraderie.

Graham Caddy, the Whitianga Coastguard’s vice president of operations, says that as in any volunteer organisation, key volunteers
make changes in their life plans and, as a result of some of their volunteers stepping down, they need to find up to six new recruits to train up as radio operators.
There is a solid investment in anyone the Whitianga Coastguard Unit is recruiting as a radio operator, so they are looking for recruits who can commit to the role in the medium to long term. Saying this, the roster for operators work around suitable hours and the availability and lifestyles of the volunteers. The hours Senior radio operator, Ann Riley in the Whitianga Coastguard Unit’s incident control room are not onerous, but the investment in skills is tangible.

“We are looking for volunteers who preferably have some marine background, they will need a police clearance and some keyboard skills are beneficial,” says Graham. “Our new recruits will be funded to complete the courses they will need to do their job, such as their VHS Operator License, incident management and more.
Our incident control room here in Whitianga is unique in that it’s a state-of-the-art facility and proper training is critical to the radio operator function.
“Our whole search and rescue process begins with a boat skipper’s initial trip report to the radio operator, which gives us critical intelligence should an incident occur. That incident may be anything from a tow needed to a complete mayday situation, but that initial trip report will get us looking in the right place, for the right people, saving precious time. Being in the centre of all of this as a radio operator can be quite a buzz.”
Volunteering as a radio operator for the Coastguard is a great way to meet new friends who share a passion for the sea, as well as to
bond with a team of professional volunteers with a great culture. The Whitianga Coastguard is all about saving lives at sea.

If you would like more information or would like to get involved in the Whitianga Coastguard Unit as a radio operator, you can
phone Graham directly on (027) 295 4861 or phone the Whitianga Coastguard duty officer on (07) 866 2883.

Therefore we would like to advise that Channel 61 will not be available to the public for their use between the hours of 7am to 4pm.

We will also be holding a Flare demonstration for the public. This will be done at Buffalo Beach on the north side of the public toilets opposite the Resthome at 9am. You are welcome to come along.

We are sorry if this causes you any inconvenience.

The Team
Whitianga Volunteer Coastguard IMT