BOATIES out on Moreton Bay have been reminded to heed maritime rules in a bid to boost night safety.
Create a free account to read this article
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Raby Bay Volunteer Marine Rescue spokesperson Carsten Thomsen said vessels anchored in high traffic areas without appropriate lighting were invisible to others.
He said the base’s rescue boats had experienced near misses during night rescues because of the problem.
- See more: Police warn boat skippers not to drink alcohol
- See more: New rescue boats set for Raby Bay VMR
- See more: Teens learn basics of boat navigation
While VMR’s rescue boats are equipped with radar and night vision capabilities to avoid collisions, Mr Thomsen said vessels without proper lighting risked being hit.
“Most of the boats in Moreton Bay don’t have these technologies, which means vessels without an anchor light are practically invisible to most oncoming boats,” he said.
“Sometimes the radar doesn’t pick up the smaller tinnies.”
Redland Bay Water Police’s officer-in-charge, Sergeant Paul Ryan, said most infringement notices handed out at night were to boat owners who failed to check their vessel’s navigational lights.
“A lot think they just need the red and green lights on but they can’t be seen from behind,” Sergeant Ryan said.
Sergeant Ryan said all boats measuring 12 metres or less, either in transit or anchored, needed a white light one metre above the boat’s highest point, with 360 degrees visibility.
For more navigational light requirements, see page 40 of the below document.
