MRQ Mackay

30/09/2025

On Sunday morning, 28th of the 9th, 2025, MRQ Mackay Duty skipper Dave received a call, diverted from the base phone, on the duty skipper’s phone.

A 6.5m speed boat with 6 people on board had had a catastrophic engine failure. They were anchored up in the channel at the Northern end of the Keswick Island airstrip.

Dave was informed by the caller that everyone was in fine spirits and about to settle in for breakfast, so no immediate rush. He got on to Mark, the Red Crew leader (Red crew are on roster this week), who in turn woke up Jonesy and Slatts.

Jonesy has been a fixture with VMR Mackay / MRQ Mackay for over 6 years now and has finally decided the time is right to bite the bullet and get certified as an MRQ Mackay coxwain.

Part of the process involves being shadowed by an already certified MRQ coxwain, in this case Dave, until the committee decides that he has the experience and skills to be entrusted with the keys to our boats.

Dave filled out the activation report while Jonesy worked through the prestart list.

Mark removed the covers and generally worked through the housework and Slatts turned up in time to untie a rope.

So there we were, Captain Jonesy conning our 11m Noosa cat, “MK11” (call sign Mackay Rescue 11) from her berth and around the nib wall at the entrance of the mariner to find…

We had a red light.

The outer harbour was closed due to shipping movements.

Lucky nobody was in a mad rush, although if the job had been urgent, we could’ve called up for permission to go through.

About 10 minutes later the ship cleared the mouth of the harbour and the red light was extinguished.

We made our way through the outer harbour at the gazetted 6 knots or no wash, which ever is the slower of the two.

On passing through the mouth of the harbour, Captain Jonesy commenced feeding the 2 500-horsepower beast down the back their oats.

In a matter of seconds the V12 Mercs had us traveling at a steady 20 Knots for the Slade Rock isolated danger mark. It’s not a hard and fast rule but we tend to use it as a stepping off point for any jobs North of East. It’s easy to locate day or night and well clear of Slade Island (not to be confused with Slade Rock).

Just South of the isolated danger mark Jonesy lined the big cat up with the channel entrance between Keswick and Saint Bees.

He trimmed the motors out to about 20 degrees and pushed the throttles forward to bring us up to a relatively smooth 40 knots in order to get a feel for how the boat handles at full throttle (like a dream, in case you’re wondering).

After an few minutes of this, he dropped down to a more fuel efficient 30 Knots

The log shows the cat leaving the harbour at 0854 and being along side the client vessel at 0940.

Whenever we’re towing a trailer boat we prefer to use a hook through the trailer hitch point below the bow. This allows us to pull the front of the boat up and get it plaining earlier.

On this occasion, given the shape of the bow, the hitch point appeared to be pretty much unreachable. A young bloke on the boat wasn’t taking no for an answer. He stripped down to his swimmers, hung off the bow with one hand and hooked up the line with the other before swimming around the back of the boat and climbing back aboard.
Good job.

At 945 we were under way doing 20 knots with the vessel under tow.

We were abeam of Slade rock at 1016 and in the harbour rafting up at 1022.

MK11 dropped our tow off at the ramp, returned to her berth and was washed down and closed up, paperwork completed by 1103.

Not a bad morning’s work.

20/06/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Qx7bGJGND/

Boaties, the rules have changed – are you lifejacket ready? 🛟 New lifejacket laws are already active across Queensland waters – but from 1 July 2025, they’ll be enforced.

Here's what you need to know 👇
✔️ Kids under 12 must wear a lifejacket when underway – on any size vessel
✔️ Solo boaties on vessels under 4.8m? Lifejacket on
✔️ On the water between sunset and sunrise on a small boat? Lifejacket on
✔️ Crossing a coastal bar on an open boat less than 4.8m? Lifejacket on

These rules apply to a wide range of craft – including sailboats, pedal boats, rafts, sea/surf kayaks and more.

To find out more - sail over to our mates at Maritime Safety Queensland - https://bit.ly/407c8nK ⚓ Lifejackets are essential, but remember, if it’s not on, it can’t save you.

25/05/2025

Thank you to Reef Marine for having our team at their boat sale Saturday and Sunday cooking snags all the proceeds from to BBQ and Raffle prize donated by Navigator Seafood will be put to use for our Volunteers at the Base on a few extras that we are not normally supplied with. BIG thank you to our own volunteers MRQ Mackay Who gave up their weekend to help out.

03/05/2025

Let’s talk about getting home in one piece, under your own power.

You owe it to yourself, your crew, your family, the operators of other boats and to the rescue crew that may have to come out in all kinds of weather, putting their lives at risk, to not get in
trouble due to negligence.

You need to have a firm grasp of the international rules and regulations for the prevention of collision at sea.

Do you know what that light that’s flashing 3 times just North of Flat Top Island means?

What about the one that’s flashing 6 short and one long between St. Bees and Scawfell?

There’s a dredge operating at the mouth of the harbour, on one side he has 2 balls one above the other, on the other side, 2 diamonds. What’s that all about?

Which side of a channel should you be on?

When 2 boats are approaching each other, who has right of way?

Is it ok to travel at any time of day without a lookout if you’ve got an autopilot?

The International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) publish and regularly update the International Rules and Regulations for the Prevention of Collision at Sea.

These rules apply to any boat in international waters or operating on any navigable waters in Australia. Navigable waters include lakes, dams, rivers, reefs, billabongs, estuaries, coastal waters, seas and oceans.

If you ignore them and are involved in an accident, you can be stuck with the cost of cleaning up your mess, repairs to vessels and infrastructure and possible criminal prosecution.
Were someone to die, you could face a long spell at His Majesties pleasure.

Ignorance of the rules is not an excuse.

If you are short handed and travelling through crowded waters, look up the information about any safe anchorages along your rout.

Cary ground tackle suitable for the size of your boat and the expected depth of the water, allowing for tides and worst case weather conditions.

If you’re under way,
DO NOT.
EVER.
Set your autopilot and not maintain a lookout.

25/04/2025

Tuesday the 22nd of the 4th 2025 got off to a hectic start with a phone call to the duty skippers’ phone from the police.

An EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) had been activated East of Scawfell Island.

An EPIRB activation is the equivalent of a Mayday call.

As soon as you activate it, it sends your position and vessel identity to a constellation of satellites which in turn send it through to the rescue coordination centre in Canberra who in turn kick off a search and rescue operation.

If you accidentally activate your EPIRB, turn it off and call AMSA on 1800 641 792 or contact VTS or the police as soon as possible.

There will be no repercussions and the person on the other end of the call will thank you.

If you don’t call it in, expect to be visited by a large cranky police man (or woman).

If I were out in a boat or even in my back yard, and a helicopter started hovering over me, I’d check that nobody had bumped my EPIRB and set it off.

For more information on using EPIRBs, see my post, pinned to the top of this page.

Final comment.
If you are unable to contact anyone, have no propulsion, are aground, are sinking, are in the water, have misplaced a crew member, are hopelessly lost or have someone in need of medical attention, activate your EPIRB and call for help on your VHF radio on channel 16.

If you use the word Mayday 3 tmes before your message, everyone else will shut up and give you the use of the channel.

If you see an aircraft or a boat or ship, use your flares and if it’s daylight, the signalling mirror in your flare kit.

Read and become familiar with the operating instructions for your EPIRB and flares and mirror and VHF marine band radio and find out what channels are monitored in your area of operation.

There’s nothing more embarrassing than scrabbling around in the bottom of the boat, searching for the flare kit, figuring out how to use it in the light of a torch with dying batteries just as the only boat you’ve seen all night disappears over the horizon.

Doesn’t instil confidence in the skipper in the crew.

The duty skipper, Don B, called me at about 0750 and we agreed to meet at the base at Mackay Marina ASAP.

We were joined at the ramp by Pete M and Trev H and completed the predeparture checks and threw off the lines.

We cleared the outer harbour and logged on to MRQ at 0850 and headed East at about 25 Knots.

The run out was uneventful and at 0947 we received updated coordinates via Hay Point VTS.

A helicopter had been tasked to check on the boat and confirmed it was in no danger.

It had engine problems, which is to say, it wouldn’t go.

We had the vessel in sight at 1005 and under tow by 1017, heading back to Mackay.

The run home was uneventful, and we logged off with MRQ and dropped our client off at the ramp.

We were refuelled, washed down and tied off on our berth by 1250

The afternoon was a whole different kettle of fish and I hope to write it up either tomorrow arvo or some time Sunday.

The forecast for the next 2 day (Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th) is under 10 knots so there’s a fair chance we’ll be busy.

Have fun on the water and hope you don’t see me.

Cheers, Slatts.

24/04/2025

On Thursday, 24th of April 25 a group of us gathered at the base with the intention of helping Patrick, the compass adjuster, swing the compasses on Valda Mason, MK11 (our new cat) and Mackay Rescue 5.
This is required every 5 years or when structural or electrical changes are made to the boat that may result in changes to the magnetic environment affecting the magnetic compass.

Patrick’s job is to adjust the position of magnets in the base of the compass to minimise the error between the bearing read from the compass and the actual magnetic bearing derived from the marine chart. That error is called the magnetic deviation.

Once the adjuster has minimized the error as far as possible, he supplies the owner of the boat with a deviation chart that lists the error for each point of sail.
If you’re interested in learning more about this, Google is your friend.

Anyhow.

Patrick boarded Valda Mason with Rod and me.

We were leaving the marina for the outer harbour when the radio room called us up.

They had a job for us to tow a disabled 60 foot cruiser in.

We were told it was outside the harbour.

Valda Mason is a good boat, with her pair of 124 horsepower Suzuki outboards, but 60 footers are not in her class range.

Rod and I took Valda Mason across to the fuel wharf and passed her and Pat over to Don to continue with the compass swinging.

We proceeded to get Mackay Rescue 5 fired up, added Lockie to the crew and headed out.

Outside the mouth of the harbour was, as is often the case, rough as guts.
And not a real lot of fun.

And there was no sign of our 60 footer.

I called her up on the radio and had the owner supply me with his Lat and Lon.

On plugging the numbers into the chart plotter, I found he was about 6.5 NM North of Slade Island.

I selected goto from the menu and told it not to engage the auto pilot so it’d draw a line from our position to the client boat but wouldn’t turn the boat towards it.

Rod checked the course for possible problems and pointed the boat in the general direction.

He engaged the autopilot in nav mode and we headed up to the waypoint.

It was hazy as on the water this morning and I’d be surprised if we had more than a mile and a half of vis.

In due course the clients boat loomed out of the murk.

My first thought was, “Struth. It’s big.”

We replaced the usual tow hook with a rope bridle, which Lockie handed up to the owner.

He hooked the ends up to a couple of cleats either side of the bow.

Lockie and I paid out the tow line and we headed for home.

The client boat had limited propulsion but, with his input and Rescue 5’s best effort, we made a stately 10 knots back to the harbour.

By the time we were back in the outer harbour I’d pulled all the lines out of the rope box, found all the spare tow hooks and put them in one corner and recoiled all the mooring lines, so that was good.

We had the client drop the bridle and Lockie and I stowed the tow lines, picked up Patrick.

Remember Patrick?

He’d just completed the swinging of Valda Masons compass.

We sent Lockie and Don in to bring the cat out for when Pat was done with us.

For the round trip we’d burnt 120 odd litres of diesel.

21/04/2025

Saturday the 19/04/25 started out with a call from a boat returning from St Bees Island.
He’d been heading out when he lost propulsion.

He rang the base and was diverted to Don B on the duty skipper’s phone.

At an idle he had propulsion and was able to maintain 2 Knots, which would have led to a long ride home.

Don passed the job off to Ian S and had Andy call in Dave U and Gary M as crew.

We departed the Marina in Valda Mason at about 0730 with the updated Lat and Long received from the client punched into the chart plotter.

Once clear of Slade Island we followed the dotted line pretty much straight to him.

We hooked him up to the tow line and made our way back to the outer harbor.

Once there, we dropped the tow and shadowed him in as he made his way to the ramp under his own power.

We left Valda Mason tied to the South side of the Southern pontoon at the ramp in anticipation of more jobs.

Which is probably why the next job came in for a 6m boat overheating up at Thomas Island in the intriguingly named Naked Lady Bay.

Thomas Island is about 34 NM North of the harbor as the crow flies and another 3 or 4 miles if you want to dodge the islands and stuff in the way.

Valda Mason would have managed the job, but Mackay Rescue 5 was the better choice.

I was in the radio room checking in with Roy, the morning operator, when the call came in and I rang the other 2 and invited them back.

Don W had wandered in for the boat checks so made a fourth for the crew.

Gary M had recently passed his coxswain ticket and is in the shadow skipper program, so he got the keys for this job.

We departed the harbor at about 1030 and headed North at about 25 Knots.

We were in Naked Lady Bay by midday.

The client boat was anchored close in to the beach and came out to join us. With the use of our tools, temporary repairs were made. The engine was hot from the run out from the beach and refused to start.
We took the boat under tow and headed off.

While this was going on we’d received a call from another 6m boat that was in trouble in the same area, also overheating.

We made a plan to daisy chain the 2 boats but, as luck would have it, the first boat got their motor running shortly into the tow.

We unhooked her and headed off to boat number 2. He had the good manners to remain broken down for the duration of the run into St Hellens.

On the way in, boat one called us up to tell us they had engine troubles again.
We called them up as we left St Hellens and were informed they were under way again, so we plotted a course to converge with them and shadow them back to Mackay.

When we hadn’t seen them after about half an hour, I called them up on the radio and was pleased to hear they were going well and 20 minutes out from the harbor.

Imagine my surprise when, just off Slade Point, Pete in the radio room called us and told us the boat was broken down in the harbor mouth.

When we arived in the harbor we looked around and couldn’t see them.

I gave Pete a call and he located them lined up at the ramp and just about to call us. I imagine they were a bit flustered after their hectic afternoon.

We topped up MR5s tanks with about 250L a side, put her on her berth, washed her down, finalized the paperwork and went to the boatshed for a quiet debrief.

Oh, and Don had 2 jobs come in for Valda Mason, one of which were cancelled and the other a double up for Boat two.

04/03/2025

Our crews are busy undertaking maintenance and making preparations for Tropical Cyclone Alfred to cross the Queensland coast sometime later this week and we encourage all our local boaties to do the same.



We know that jetties will be extremely busy as people prepare vessels for the oncoming weather, so please exercise patience when you’re out on the water.



Stay informed with Maritime Queensland’s preparing for severe weather webpage which has links to the MSQ dashboard, storm flood and cyclone warnings, and information about how to get your boat ready for severe weather.



The maritime rescue crews of MRQ, VMR and AVCGA stand ready to provide assistance to people in trouble on the water. If you require support, always call triple 0 in an emergency, or contact our crews via VHF Channel 16. Contact 131MRQ (131 677) for non-urgent assistance

13/02/2025

The boys and girls were down at the Base at MRQ Mackay on Wednesday night, working through their shipboard safety courses and prepping the gear for the pool exercises at the Memorial Pool this coming Saturday morning.

They’ll be doing laps (1), righting an upturned life raft on their own, a not uncommon problem when the rafts are inflated, getting themselves into the raft from the water and helping others in, then paddling the raft the length of the pool.

Once everyone has demonstrated their competence in these evaluations, they’ll pack up the gear and return to the base to practice setting off training flares (no flame or smoke) and putting out fires with fire extinguishers.

Next weekend Don will be running the first aid prac for a couple of trainees who weren’t able to make it last time it was run. I’ll be doing my three year first aid refresher course along side them.

All of this, along with Marine VHF radio operator course (you still have to send the certificate to ACMA for your licence) costs the trainees nothing but the time they put into it and will result in a nationally recognised skill set that’ll set them up as competent crew and, if they stick with it and keep working through the curriculum, will set them up to apply for a commercial coxswain’s ticket.

Anyone who’d like to join us or just have a look around can come down to the base on a Saturday morning or Wednesday night, after 6PM and talk to us.

For anyone who isn’t aware, our base is the big white brick place next to the ramp at the Mackay Marina.
Don’t be shy.

09/02/2025

Well Said QPS - Mackay’s Legends!

07/02/2025

Legends!!