New search and rescue resource for the Howick community

After two years of fundraising and significant planning Howick Volunteer Coastguard proudly hosted the official launch of ‘Howick Rescue One’ its brand new primary rescue vessel at a ceremony on Saturday.

The new rescue vessel is a rigid hulled inflatable work boat designed by Naiad and built by Circa Marine in Whangarei, is almost a replica to the units current rescue vessel. This is a testament to the volunteer build teams previous planning with a few tweaks to introduce the latest navigational and build technology. It is 9.5 metres in length and is powered by a 551KW Scania diesel engine driving a 364 Hamilton Jet unit enhancing the vessels performance in the wide range of operating conditions it is faced with.

Coastguard Northern Region CEO, David Tommas says “We are delighted to see the arrival of this new rescue vessel to the Hauraki Gulf. Coastguard works best when it works together and this vessel represents a real collaboration of volunteers, communities and funders – delivering an outstanding outcome for Coastguard Howick and the community it serves.

“We’d like to offer our sincere thanks to The Lion Foundation, New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) Infinity Foundation, Trillian Trust, Howick Freemasons Charitable Trust, and the Auckland Maritime Foundation for the financial assistance they have provided, in addition to fundraising efforts within the local community. Their support of Coastguard and belief in the remarkable efforts of our volunteers is humbling and is the reason we are able to save lives at sea” says Mr Tommas.

“ ‘Howick Rescue One’ is an outstanding vessel and a vital asset that will be valued by this community and the Region where it plays a key role in Coastguard’s search and rescue response in the Hauraki Gulf and one of the busiest vessels in the country”.

Over the past 24 months, a group of Coastguard Howick volunteers have gone above and beyond contributing more than 3000 hours of their spare time to bring this vessel project to fruition, over and above their usual rescue work hours says unit President, Ian Gibson.

Howick Volunteer Coastguard Rescue Vessel Launch
When: 1.30pm Saturday 15th November 2014
Where: Howick Volunteer Coastguard Base, Howick Beach

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