MRQ Mackay

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.

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.

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.

Well Said QPS - Mackay’s Legends!

Legends!!