15-05-2025
Launch date set for new boat
After seven years of hard slog, the new $1 million Russell John Chisholm coastguard boat will be officially launched at Riverton's high tide on August 16, says Riverton Coastguard skipper and president Ross McKenzie.
The new vessel will replace the 25-year-old 8.5m Naiad also called the Russell John Chisholm.
Russell John Chisholm was a 7-year-old boy whose body was never found after he died alongside five others when a Cessna carrying 10 passengers lost power in both engines and plunged into Foveaux Strait in 1998.
The Chisholm family have remained strong supporters of the coastguard.
The coastguard crews were expecting to receive the new boat built by Invercargill's Gough Bros in early June, but it needed sea trials and its four skippers to first be familiarised with its new state-of-the-art electronic technology and revalidated before the official launch.
"We get an exemption to do sea trials and training until we're signed off on the boat. Then we can sign off all the crew and their knowledge of the boat.
"It's just a matter of making sure everything's running well — running the motors at different revs and just confirming everything's running the way it should be [and] the electronics are set up correctly.
"There's a fair bit of excitement in the group. They're all keen to get out and get on the boat."
While the boat was larger than the current rescue boat, he expected it would handle in a similar way.
"It shouldn't be too much difference because it's the same design hull, same boat and everything, it's just slightly heavier.
"So it's just a matter for us to get that experience under our belt. . . and get comfortable with it before we put it into full service."
It is powered by twin V6 350 Yamaha outboard engines and equipped with Raymarine electronics providing autopilot search patterns, a FLIR (forward-looking infrared) thermal image camera and night vision cameras.
Mr McKenzie said he was particularly looking forward to working with the FLIR technology.
Locator beacon co-ordinates could be programmed into the camera and would immediately start scanning a search area.
Thermal imaging was capable of detecting small differences in heat, allowing anyone in the water to be quickly detected, both night or day, he said.
Three Riverton Coastguard volunteers had attended the Auckland Boat Show in 2024.
"They spent the full three days just on electronics and basically they chose electronics that were the easiest to use."
He expected the launch would be a big community celebration, as the community had provided valuable encouragement and fundraising contributions.
"The launch was a chance for us to thank the people involved in the community and the sponsors for their support."
