Boats had mechanical problems

The volunteers at Marine Rescue Central Coast were called to several boats around the Peninsula for help with a variety of mechanical and fuel problems on Saturday, February 25.

Rescues began at 10am and continued through until 2pm and took place at Booker Bay, Horsfield Bay, Waterfall Bay, Paddy's Channel and Broken Bay.

At about 10am, two people on board a five metre vessel at Booker Bay with a failed outboard motor phoned for assistance.

Skipper Ted Leeson and his crew on Central Coast 11 located the boat and towed it to Davistown.

At about 12:15pm, another phone call was received from a six metre ski boat in Horsfield Bay, again with its motor no longer functioning.

The boat, with six adults and three children, was towed to Lions Park at Woy Woy by Central Coast 11 with Skipper Peter Alderton in command.

Just before 1pm, the base had a phone call from a six metre runabout in Waterfall Bay with three men on board.

They advised their motor had failed and sought help.

Alderton and his crew on Central Coast 11 towed the vessel to Davistown.

At about 2pm, the boat crew again responded to a phone request for help from a 5.5 metre outboard runabout with a fuel problem in Paddy's Channel.

The boat and the three people on board were towed to Lions Park by Central Coast 11.

At the same time, an eight metre motor cruiser with a transmission problem which prevented the vessel from going backwards or forwards called Marine Rescue for help.

The vessel was east of Lion Island in Broken Bay and had two people on board.

The rescue was tasked to Central Coast 20 and Skipper Norm Smith and his crew towed the vessel to its berth in Hardy's Bay.

Marine Rescue Central Coast public relations officer Mr Ron Cole said that a disturbing feature of that Saturday's calls was that they were all made by phone rather than marine radio and that none of the vessels were logged.

He said that the number of vessels with mechanical-fuel problems may have come as a result of older engines using E10 ULP fuel.

"Older engines and some fuel tanks are affected by the alcohol content of E10," he said.

"The impact can be engine failure.

"E10 also absorbs water if stored for longer than three weeks and this is not unusual for boats.

"A water filter should be fitted to improve reliability," he added.

Media Release, 27 Feb 2012 Ron Cole, Marine Rescue Central Coast