Emergency services in public health appeal • COVID keeps Sydney crews on home waters

COVID keeps Sydney crews on home waters

Unusual summer on Harbour as pandemic claims landmark events.

It was a summer like no other on Sydney Harbour, with the biggest weeks on the boating calendar uncharacteristically subdued.

Marine Rescue NSW volunteers traditionally are at the centre of the action as the national and international spotlight shines on Sydney Harbour from Boxing Day to Australia Day.

The continuing impact of COVID-19, however, scuttled summer highlights and unfavourable weather conditions limited the usually frenetic boating activity on the premier waterway over the festive period.

Crews remained ready to respond to emergencies on the water, despite a COVID cluster and lockdown on Sydney’s Northern Beaches just before Christmas forcing units in the Greater Sydney, Hunter/Central Coast and Illawarra regions to return to operating on an on-call basis rather than rostered on duty at their bases. Radio bases in these areas operated with core numbers of pesonnel until the restrictions were eased.

COVID’s first victim of the summer was the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, cancelled for the first time in its 76-year history. MRNSW

Crews from Sydney units saw in the New Year on a strangely quiet Sydney Harbour, responding to just a handful of minor incidents on the water. Photo: Tony Gordon.

volunteers stayed on their home waters rather than turning out in their usual force to help maintain safety at the start of the blue water classic. MR Eden radio operators, who watch over the fleet as it heads south to Bass Strait, missed being part of the spectacle.

Next came a strangely quiet New Year’s Eve, with the 9pm fireworks cancelled and the midnight skyshow scaled back.

Crews from MR Port Jackson, Middle Harbour, Broken Bay, Cottage Point and Botany Port Hacking were on the water under sullen skies from morning until after midnight but reported just a handful of minor incidents among many fewer boats out.

Scant crowds on the foreshore included a single man at the normally cram-packed Bradleys Head vantage point.

Popular Australia Day events also were cancelled or cut back.

The unusual summer calendar ended on January 26 with the rapid evacuation of a Middle Harbour marina when a young boater poured 150 litres of fuel into the engine bay rather than the fuel tank of his mate’s dad’s cruiser. After Fire + Rescue NSW pumped out the boat, Port Jackson 30 towed it to its mooring.

Boating popularity booms over past year

The popularity of boating boomed in 2020, with hundreds more people taking to NSW waterways throughout the pandemic year.

NSW Maritime has reported that there were 682 more general boating licence holders at the start of this summer compared to last.

An additional 1,282 boats were registered in NSW at the end of November, compared to the same time in 2019. Waiting lists are reported for jet ski purchases.

NSW Maritime Executive Director Mark Hutchings said anecdotally, vessel use had increased significantly throughout COVID, including existing boats being used more often and more new boats out on the water.

“Starting in March 2020 and continuing right through winter and into spring, statistics show an uptick in both boat licences and registrations, which likely related to COVID-19 causing an increase in interest in boating as one of the remaining leisure options,” he said

Mr Hutchings said it was important for new boaties to focus on following the NSW boating rules and any local waterway restrictions, such as speed limits. Robert Sanasi took delivery of his first boat – a 5.7m runabout – and was issued a mooring licence after successfully passing the test for his boat licence.

“We are empty nesters and recently moved to Lane Cove and it seemed like the thing to do. In March there wasn’t much to do, so my son and I got our boat licences,” Mr Sanasi said. “I have zero boating history, so I’ve hired a guy for six one-hour slots to teach me gradually what to do on my own boat.

“If you make a mistake on land, the consequences are different.”

First-time boater Robert Sanasi.