Roads and Maritime Services No Images? Click here It's always a good time to go boating...We’re in the depths of winter now, and the water is cold across the state, particularly in our alpine regions. It’s fantastic to see many boaters enjoy our beautiful waterways during winter, but it is important to highlight that cold water can be dangerous. Boating incidents can become very serious very quickly so always check the weather before you go out and wear a lifejacket at all times. You just never know when it can save your life. Carrying the correct safety equipment on board and making sure it’s all in good working condition is an important rule for all boaters. Visit the Roads and Maritime website for more information so that you don’t get caught out. Our State-wide Enhanced Mooring Program is now well and truly underway. The program is one of the initiatives to keep our waterways safe and accessible, and helps reduce incidents that may impact the marine environment. Our audits have identified defects in some vessels and mooring apparatus, and served important reminders to boaters to regularly service boats and make sure they are seaworthy, particularly aging boats that may need extra care. We’ve also introduced a new buyer beware notification system, which will inform boaters purchasing and transferring a vessel into their name of any compliance actions against the vessel. It’s important for us to hear feedback from you, our boating community. You can provide feedback by emailing maritimesnews@rms.nsw.gov.au, or come and speak to us at the Boating Safety Zone at the upcoming Sydney International Boat Show on 1-5 August! Happy boating, Mark Hutchings Improving mooring management throughout NSWWhen a vessel or a mooring apparatus is poorly maintained and unseaworthy there is a greater risk of boats sinking, vessels breaking from moorings and colliding with other boats, waterfront property or boating infrastructure. This can also lead to serious injuries or fatalities that may have been avoided with proper care and maintenance. Marine pollution from vessels that are not seaworthy is also a concern when sunken vessels leak fuel or oil and cause serious harm to marine flora and fauna. Our State-wide Enhanced Mooring Program of Works tackles these issues by identifying vessels and mooring equipment that are unseaworthy and has updated the administration process to alert mooring licensees of any service requirements. Well maintained boats on moorings means fewer salvages, allowing funds to be better invested in infrastructure, safety campaigns and education programs - to give boaters a safer and more enjoyable experience on the water. If you have a vessel moored on a NSW waterway, make sure you understand your Private Mooring Licence conditions and service your mooring apparatus and vessel every 12 months. You will receive notification one month ahead of your scheduled audit to allow for servicing, though allowances can be made where necessary. Be sure to obtain a Proof of Service to avoid any Official Cautions. It's not worth the riskWhether you’re heading offshore for the day, or staying in well-known waters, a GPS equipped distress beacon can mean all the difference when something goes wrong on the water. Recent incidents on NSW waterways have highlighted the importance of having an EPIRB on-board any vessel. While you’re only required to carry a registered 406 MHz EPIRB when more than two nautical miles offshore, it’s a good idea to have one with you at all times. Make sure your EPIRB is easily accessible but stowed to avoid inadvertent activation. It’s also good practice to regularly check the expiry date on your EPIRB and ensure you dispose of expired EPIRBs correctly to reduce wasting emergency services on false alarms. Find us at the Boat ShowIt’s almost time for the 2019 Sydney International Boat Show! This year will see it kicking off on 1 August and running through to Monday 5 August. Visit the Boating Safety Zone in Hall 6 on the first floor for all your boating safety, licensing and registration queries. We will have lifejacket displays and demonstrations, safety equipment on show, and plenty of helpful team members around to answer your questions. We will be joined by a number of our boating safety partners, including Transport for NSW endorsed boating app Deckee – A great resource which is being continually updated to help recreational boaters find safety information, weather updates and tips for safe travelling on the water. Just in time for NAIDOC weekTo celebrate Aboriginal people’s connection to the water students and members of the Aboriginal community and Roads and Maritime staff recently built traditional Aboriginal Bark Canoes in Ballina. Approximately 30 people worked together over two days to bring the project to life by moulding and tying bark to build five small bark canoes. The canoes are now in their rightful places with local aboriginal groups and the Southern Cross School of Distance Education. The project served to raise awareness around boating safety issues for these communities – where Aboriginal people are over-represented in boating injuries and fatalities. To keep the momentum going, we are currently developing an additional bark canoe project in partnership with North Wollongong PCYC and NSW Police Force, and another with Wollongong University. Details on how to get involved will be listed online in the coming months. From the yard to the waterAttention all boat dealers! We’ve partnered with Service NSW to launch a new scheme that enables boaters buying brand new vessels to obtain NSW vessel registration at the point of sale. Our Maritime Dealer Vessel Registration Scheme (MDVRS) allows participating dealers across the country to access and obtain NSW registration numbers for the new vessels they sell. The MDVRS allows new boats purchased through authorised dealers to be taken straight out on NSW waters, much like when you drive a new car off the lot onto our roads. The MDVRS is free for boat dealers to join and any dealer of new vessels in Australia may apply. Baby it's cold outside...With cold weather comes cold water, which is a significant contributing factor in fatal and serious injuries in boating. When the water is cold, always check the weather before you head out, and continue to check it while you are out. If you have any doubts, don't go out. Cold water can have a paralysing effect on muscles and increases the risk of drowning. So if you are heading out on cold water, be prepared, wear warm gear and always wear a lifejacket. Remember, even if the weather feels warm, the water can still be cold and life threatening if you fall in. |