VMR Mornington & Hastings in Mornington, Victoria | Non-profit organisation

VMR Mornington & Hastings

Locality: Mornington, Victoria

Phone: +61 419 233 999

Address: Cnr Esplanade & Drake Sts 3931 Mornington, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.vmrmornington.com.au

Likes: 2999

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• Non-profit organisation
• Emergency rescue service

23.01.2022 Some great advice for kayakers and timely considering the increase of kayakers on the water and the associated calls for marine rescue assistance. Paddle safe!

23.01.2022 A short clip from this afternoons rescue, the Water Police tasked VMR Mornington to 3 people on a vessel a few hundred metres off Seaford. The VMR crew of 4 made good time in 25knot plus winds and were able to tow the stricken vessel to safety in Patterson’s Lakes. A suspected failed fuel pump was the cause of the breakdown.

21.01.2022 Our volunteer members train and practice basic sea survival skills each year to ensure they can safely protect themselves, whist they are on the water protecting the community. Here is a video of some of the aspects of the training.

21.01.2022 VMR has been tasked 3 seperate times in the past week to reports of Kiteboarders in Port Phillip and Westernport who have been blown away from the shore in offshore winds. All have resulted in people being returned safety to shore. This is a great article with advice from the peak kiteboarding association. Stay safe out on the water.

21.01.2022 Have you ever set off a flare? Do you know how to? Our crews have been extremely busy since Friday with multiple rescues being conducted and many people being brought back to the safety of the Harbour. Last night at 2230 hours the call went out for a rescue crew out of Mornington. The details were a little scant however it was confirmed that 3 people were in a vessel somewhere near Dromana and had no engine power or electrical power (no nav lights or GPS). As usual a crew scr...ambled to get the vessel on the water. It is common for the crews to contact the people in trouble via phone when they are on the water firstly to let them know that a vessel is on their way to them and so that further details can be gained to pinpoint where they are, ensure they are safe and have lifejackets on. The details of the recuse last night weren’t adding up and what quickly became apparent is that the vessel was not where they thought they were, they were in the shipping channel/ fairway with a large commercial ship bearing down on them. VMR in conjunction with the Water Police Rescue Coordination Centre and Victorian Ports VTS operators organised for the stricken vessel to set off a red (night) flare to establish the vessels exact location. The photo in the post shows the red flare from 8nm away. VMR has state of the art electronics on their vessel including night vision (FLIR) cameras, radars, AIS to name a few. VMR used this equipment to establish that the vessel was directly in the path of an outbound ship and VTS spoke with the Pilot on that ship to ensure they were aware of the situation. Thankfully the ship passed approximately 150m from the stricken vessel. This rescue was completed successfully and demonstrates how well the different agencies work together to deliver marine search and rescue services to the boating public in Victoria. This was a very close call for the occupants of the vessel and this rescue causes us to ask, do you have flares on board your vessel? Are they in date and most importantly do you know how to use them if you need to? Like any safety equipment on board its on useful if you know where to access it and use it quickly when required. The instructions on how to use a flare are on the flare itself. Stay safe out on the water.

20.01.2022 Please remember today the 11th day at the 11th hour - Spend a few minutes in silence - thank you

19.01.2022 This evening (Thursday) at 5:30, our Mornington vessel was activated to search for a missing vessel with 1 person on board. Luckily the vessel was located a short time later by Water Police and we were able to have an early night, so we thought. At 7:15 our Hastings crew along with Coast Guard were activated due to a vessel out off Flinders sending a may-day, as they were taking water. Both vessels were on-scene promptly, and able to quickly ascertain they were able to contin...ue under their own steam. Arriving at Flinders Pier, a water pump was used pump the vessel dry. (no more information at this stage) Vessel TX1 arrived back home around 10:30pm

18.01.2022 At 3:00 pm today Water Police activated VMR Hastings to assist a vessel driting in 70 metres of water, about 5 klm out from Pyramid Rock. It took us just on 1 hour to reach the stricken vessel, who had engine issues. We were able to attach a tow line and begin the long tow back to Corinella. By the time we re-fuelled and completed the paper work it was nudging 7:30 pm. Skipper Garry said, "this is what we train for, the crew were fantastic and everything ran like clockwork". The 2 occupants of the vessel were happy to reach solid ground.

18.01.2022 Just before 11 this morning, we were tasked by Water Police to search for a paddle board sighted off the Somers area. Shortly after we were joined by Rescue 301 (Hastings Coast Guard). Both vessels are still searching between Somers and Phillip Island. Skipper Ted, has reported the conditions are far from good.

18.01.2022 short footage from MIR 18/07/2020

15.01.2022 Always check the forecast before you launch. One of our members was at the Mornington boat ramp this morning and spoke to a few boaters launching their vessels, what became apparent was that they weren’t aware of the strong wind warning issued for Port Phillip waters today. As you can see from the images below there is a strong northerly wind building which is notoriously bad when launching or retrieving vessels at the Mornington boat ramp. ... The photo of the Harbour shows that a ‘pink sky in the morning, sailors warning!’ is a sign there is strong winds on the way. What was great to hear is that these boaters knew they could head for safety from a northerly at Martha Cove. Please always check the weather forecast before you head out on the water! Stay safe out on the water!

15.01.2022 Both our Hastings and Mornington teams were busy over the weekend and into the week. Sunday was very busy on both Bays. Mornington assisted this vessel which had a steering failure. And a vessel off Mornington this morning with starter motor issues, which was resolved en-route. Thanks to Alec for the photos.

14.01.2022 Just on 11:00am this morning, we received a call to assist a vessel off Warneet. A 3.3 metre tinny with 3 people on board capsized. Our Hastings vessel TX1 was on scene within half an hour of notification from Water Police. Luckily for the 3 people, they were picked up by a passing vessel, very cold, but relieved to be taken back to shore.... Skipper Neil said, "we are currently towing the upturned vessel back into Warneet, with a strong out going tide, we can only achieve around 1 knot. The conditions are pretty average out here".

13.01.2022 Our volunteer members have been busy training to ensure they are ready for the next call out. The members were busy refreshing their skills on rope work and towing and our vessels got a good spring clean. It was great to see many vessels out of Mornington and the other local boat ramps today, people enjoying the water a few getting onto some fine fish. Stay safe on the water.

13.01.2022 VMR Mornington/Hastings use the App, "Crew" to keep in contact with members. We use it for communication, and rostering. Members enter when they are going to be away, giving clear visibility to our skippers, who is available to attend a call-out at any given time. VMR welcome "Crew" as a sponsor of VMR.... https://www.crewapp.com/

12.01.2022 This is a snap of the area searched by VMR & CG over the last four and a half hours.

12.01.2022 Merry Christmas to all our VMR supporters! We hope you are surrounded by the ones you love and doing what you love. Stay safe out on the water!

12.01.2022 13 more likes for this Facebook page and we will be able to draw the winner of the trip on one of our vessels for two hours for two! Make sure you tag your friends and family in the original post so you go into the draw!

11.01.2022 With the new moon and at this time of year brings extremely low tides. It’s very common to accidentally drive the trailer off the end of a boat ramp. This guy was very lucky at Safety Beach ramp this afternoon with a Good Samaritan coming to his aid, often the result is not so good with vehicles being damaged beyond repair. Why don’t you check out the tide levels at your local ramp over the next few days so you can see what it’s like when the tides is at its lowest. Stay safe.

10.01.2022 With the wonderful weather upon us and the holidays coming up we thought we should remind everyone of the rule requiring life jackets to be warn when operating at the Heads. ThIs is a waterway rule and therefore a legal requirement. VMR advocates for the wearing of life jackets whenever people are on the water wherever they are, have you ever tried to put a your life jacket on when you are already in the water?

10.01.2022 If you have a question about VHF Radio, have a look at this. VMR's member Tim Warner was recently interviewed by Vanessa from Maritime Safety Victoria. In the interview a number of frequently asked questions were put to Tim.

10.01.2022 Here are a few more photos of today's rescue. It was good to know Coast Guard Hastings were on stand-by in case things escalated. A good outcome, with all safe, a bit cold and shaken up by the ordeal.

09.01.2022 To our boating community, please look out for this boat on your travels. Let’s help another mate out! Cheers.

08.01.2022 Very different conditions this evening, outside the entrance compared to inside.

07.01.2022 Please see advice from the government, boating and fishing are not one of the four permitted activities. Stay safe

06.01.2022 Thanks all for the kind comments, as an update, nothing was located yesterday, and no person reported missing, so the search was stood down an hour or so after the last Post - Thanks again to all of our valued followers. The VMR Team.

05.01.2022 A big thank you to members Ted and Mark, who over the last 3 weeks have been working really hard to install our brand new Furuno navigation system, including the latest generation screens, radar and AIS Class A system into our Hastings vessel TX1. As Ted said, a couple of weeks ago the vessel looked like an explosion in a spaghetti factory, now all neat and tidy. Everything should be commissioned this week. Whilst TX1 has been on the slips, she has had a clean up and motors s...erviced ready fore the coming season. Our vessel AK2 has been in Hastings to cover any calls for assistance during this period.

05.01.2022 Our crews have been kept busy on the water and training. This morning at 0540 hours our volunteers were asked to rescue a yacht that had run out of fuel and was becalmed in the South Channel. The yacht and its crew were towed safety to Sorrento. There have subsequently been a few issues and rescues today. If you do get into trouble out on the water please call ‘000’ and ask for the water police. Stay safe!

04.01.2022 Reflections on what could have been... It was a standard spring day and we had been blessed with great weather on the Peninsula, with that came the usual amounts of boats, recreational craft and beach goers which was creating a great buzz on the water. The Marine Rescue service pager went off at about 1630 hours for a call of a sole jet skier in trouble about 3 nautical miles off the Pillars (Mt Martha)....Continue reading

03.01.2022 After yesterdays capsize, it is an opportune time to review the dangers of suddenly being thrown into the water of Port Phillip or Westernport. There are some great survival tips in the video. https://www.mast.tas.gov.au/recreatio/cold-water-immersion/

02.01.2022 Our Hastings vessel (TX1) went back into the water yesterday, after a period of 5 weeks on the stand. All new navigation gear, radar, and the latest Class "A" AIS system fitted. A good scrub, polish and anti foul coat. Whilst this was going on, we covered Westernport and beyond with Mornington's second vessel AK2. ... A big thanks to Ted and the Team who assisted him, fitting and re-wiring, as Ted says, "a labor of love" TX1 has scrubbed up pretty well for a 10 year old boat, that does a power of work assisting vessels in distress. Well done Team.

02.01.2022 Boating and fishing is back on! Stay safe guys, take a moment to check you safety gear and if you get into any trouble always call 000 and ask for the water police.