Boaties lead summer safety campaign

Queensland boaties are telling their stories of survival in a summer boating safety campaign urging skippers to have their safety gear on hand.

Skippers Shane Austin and Rob McMurray are the face of this summer's Real boaties, real lives campaign which reminds skippers they need to take responsibility for their own safety.

Minister for Transport John Mickel said the skippers' stories drove home the message that potentially tragic incidents could be avoided by simple measures.

"For Shane, Rob and their mates, simple, responsible safety measures have made all the difference,’’ he said.

Shane Austin's trip to Tangalooma with friends turned ugly when his boat started to sink off Bribie Island, south of the Caloundra bar.

"We started bailing with buckets and I flicked on the bilge pump, set the anchor, fired a distress flare, activated the EPIRB and phoned triple 0 to alert the Coast Guard," Shane said.

"I guess it was because we were well prepared, it meant a bad situation didn't turn into something much worse."

Rob McMurray and his mates were off Green Island in far north Queensland, retrieving an anchor, when a rogue wave hit, upturned the boat and tossed them all in the water.

Unable to access the marine radio or the EPIRB in the dark, they spent the night in the water with the V-sheet before Rob could retrieve and set off the EPIRB in daylight and spark a helicopter rescue.

"I wouldn't have had to wait until daylight to set off my EPIRB if it was kept with all of my safety equipment," he said.

The Real boaties, real lives campaign complements another national campaign by the National Marine Safety Committee featuring Test cricketer Matthew Hayden. The Lifejackets – Skippers Take the Lead campaign aims to motivate skippers to wear lifejackets and asks them to ensure their passengers to do the same.

Media inquiries: Shannon Mackay 3237 1125

December 29, 2007