New Marine Rescue Alpine Lakes vessel passes major test ahead of going into service
by Marine Rescue NSW 1 Dec 2023 19:22 AEDT
Marine Rescue Alpine Lakes vessel © Marine Rescue NSW
The new replacement vessel for Marine Rescue Alpine Lakes has passed a sea trial at Yamba on the NSW Northern Rivers ahead of being delivered to Lake Eucumbene.
Marine Rescue NSW Senior Manager Fleet, Kelvin Parkin said Alpine Lakes 20 is a first of its kind vessel designed to suit the inland waters and environment that Marine Rescue NSW volunteers face when tasked for missions.
"The Alpine Lakes area has very extreme conditions so we required something special for our volunteers to be able to operate safely through all seasons.
"Winter is obviously very cold at Lake Jindabyne and Lake Eucumbene and through summer, it can also get very hot so they needed space and comfort inside the cabin so they can operate for longer," he said.
Mr Parkin said the 6.8 metre Gray's Marine and Welding CNC plated vessel is powered by twin Suzuki 140 horsepower engines.
"The vessel's capability is really impressive and can do about 35 to 40 knots at top end speed.
"Our regular searching (speed) is about 15 to 20 so at those sorts of speeds she operates really nicely and cuts through the water very well.
"It can get quite rough and choppy on the lakes so the design of the boat, the hull, its capability through those sorts of areas is really quite impressive," he said.
Mr Parkin said AL 20's sea trial was held in messy offshore conditions off Yamba.
"It was a really good test for the vessel and its stability, seeing how it reacted through swell and different seaway conditions and also when we were stopped and manoeuvring what the stability was like," he said.
AL 20 will undergo further testing in Sydney before being delivered to the Marine Rescue Alpine Lakes unit later next month.
Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.