RCCNZ shoreline search request in Dusky Sound
You are the skipper of the 15 m charter vessel Southern Cross in Dusky Sound, Fiordland, with six people aboard. It is 1100; the wind is northwest 20 knots and visibility is good. You have VHF, a sounder, a searchlight, no radar, and fuel for eight hours at economical speed. Maritime Radio calls you on Channel 16 and passes a request from the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand: an overdue kayaker was last seen 6 hours ago heading west along a 4 nautical mile stretch of shoreline, and a search is being set up. A PLB has not activated. RCCNZ asks whether you can search the shoreline segment for the next two hours. Your charter party is due back in Manapouri by 1800. You must decide whether to accept, what information RCCNZ needs, and how you would run the search.
1. What information do you give RCCNZ before accepting, and how do you decide whether to accept?
Read the worked answer
I would not simply say yes. I would give RCCNZ the facts it needs to plan:
- My position, course and speed, and the time I can be on task.
- Fuel endurance: eight hours at economical speed, and the distance and time needed to return to Manapouri with a reserve.
- Search capability: one vessel, six persons available as lookouts, a searchlight, sounder, VHF, no radar, and good visibility.
- Sea state and wind in the sound, and any limitations on close shoreline work.
- The charter commitment at 1800, which sets a hard departure time.
I would accept only if the two-hour search plus the return passage leaves a sensible fuel and daylight margin. If it does not, I would offer a shorter segment, a passage along part of the shoreline on my way out, or standby availability. Accepting a task I cannot complete safely could put my charter party at risk and give RCCNZ a false picture of coverage.
2. How would you plan and run the search, including communications?
Read the worked answer
I would ask RCCNZ for the search datum, the last known position, the kayak's colour and description, the person's clothing and experience, and the intended search area boundaries. I would then plan a shoreline-parallel search at a speed that gives lookouts time to see a kayak or person, with track spacing set by visibility and the size of the object; in good visibility, closer spacing along the shoreline and into coves is better than a wide offshore pattern. I would post lookouts forward and on both sides, use the sounder in shallow water, and keep clear of hazards.
I would keep a listening watch on Channel 16 and use a working channel for scheduled reports to Maritime Radio or RCCNZ, for example every 30 minutes or at each turning point. Each report would give position, course, speed, area covered, anything sighted and fuel state. I would log times and positions. If another vessel joined, I would avoid duplicating its area and ask RCCNZ to assign boundaries.
3. You find an overturned kayak, then a person in the water. What transmissions and actions follow?
Read the worked answer
I would report the kayak immediately with position, time and description, and say whether it is occupied. I would mark the position on the chart or GPS and continue searching for the person; an empty kayak does not mean the search is over. When the person is sighted, I would report at once: position, number of persons, whether the person is conscious, and what assistance I need.
I would approach slowly and from a safe angle, throw a line or lifebuoy, and recover the person without putting my crew in the water. I would treat for hypothermia: keep the person horizontal, remove wet clothing carefully, insulate and warm, and avoid rubbing the limbs or giving alcohol. I would ask RCCNZ for medical advice and helicopter evacuation if needed.
On the radio, I would use the working channel to RCCNZ because the search is already coordinated. If I could not raise RCCNZ and needed immediate additional help, I would transmit PAN PAN on Channel 16, or MAYDAY if the person's condition was critical. I would not cancel the search or leave the area until RCCNZ confirmed that everyone was accounted for.