The screenshots from the tracker show they had drifted south-east then west towards Godley Head, where we located and retrieved them.

The Emily B Drifter Project is an awesome ‘grassroots’ project to understand how objects drift in the sea using special GPS-tracked floating devices. The goal is to make it easier to estimate where a person in the water may have drifted to, so they can be quickly located by search teams such as Coastguard.

The project was set up by the family of Emily Branje, who at age 9 years was tragically swept out to sea in 2019 at the Hokitika River Mouth.

It’s become a community volunteer effort, with Kotuku Surf Life Saving Club (Greymouth), Sumner Surf Life Saving Club and Coastguard unit Sumner Lifeboat all helping to launch, track and retrieve the drifters during the project.

You can keep up-to-date with the progress in developing the trackers via the Emily B Drifter Facebook page.

Time was of the essence as the kayaker only had light clothing and was immersed in winter-cold waters. Hamilton Jet Rescue was launched quickly and the young man in the water was located soon after by our crew. He was taken aboard our rescue vessel and brought to Christchurch Yacht Club.

The crew had used their VHF radio to request an ambulance, and whilst it was on its way the crew wrapped the patient in blankets and helped warm him up.

The patient was hypothermic and also seemed to have ingested saltwater. Happily after a few hours in hospital he made a full recovery.

This was quite a close call – cold water rapidly cools the body and it was a few minutes before the alarm was raised. Fortunately we had some crew on-station already so we effected a very fast launch and he was quickly found.

Stuff also published an article about the incident.

The kayaker’s friend later messaged us: “I can’t thank you all enough for rescuing my friend today at Sumner when we got into trouble kayaking. I will be eternally grateful.” The kayaker and his family have also expressed their thanks to us.

Hamilton Jet Rescue and Urquhart Rescue Trust were launched with six of our most experienced crew. Quickly locating the scene, three crew swam ashore to assess and attend to the casualty.

Meanwhile, aerial reconnaissance was conducted by a non-winch rescue helicopter, followed by a winch-equipped rescue helicopter with paramedic for the actual rescue.

The helicopter paramedic was lowered to the casualty who was assessed and then winched up and flown to Christchurch Hospital for treatment. Fortunately the casualty was conscious and was able to stand up to assist their rescue.

When the hang glider pilot was winched to safety and hospital, that wasn’t the end of the mission.

The three crew who attended to the casualty were still ashore on the rocks near the crash site. They had to be safely extracted before the weather further deteriorated.

The extraction was carefully planned between the boat and the crew on the rocks.

In the video Dave Passmore, our senior medic, is aboard Hamilton Jet Rescue having already swum from shore to the boat. Tom Denman and Blair Quane are seen in the water swimming and getting aboard.

A tricky scenario but we train for this, and it’s one reason we wear all that PPE.

This was a demanding rescue with an injured casualty, increasing strong onshore winds, an incoming tide and a nasty 1-2m swell onto a rocky shoreline with cliffs above. The Sumner boat crew were supported by a 10-person shore team carrying out launch and recovery, communications and coordination tasks.

It was also a multi-agency response coordinated by Police, with Sumner Lifeboat and the rescue helicopters from GCH Aviation – Garden City Helicopters on scene plus Sumner Volunteer Fire Brigade and ambulances on standby at Taylors Mistake.

Thanks also to Taylors Mistake SLSC for use of their premises as a coordination centre.

It’s rescues like this one where all that training comes into play and teamwork is paramount both within the unit and with other agencies. Well done everyone involved.

He was always focused on developing Sumner Lifeboat’s capabilities – crew, vessels and the Sumner station facilities.

His lifeboat legacy lives on – he was instrumental in the design of the Sumner Class lifeboat, adopted by the Sumner, Bluff and North Canterbury Coastguard units, and he brought about the transition to a full jet fleet at Sumner.

Paul was influential in the development of Coastguard Southern Region too. Paul was Chair of Coastguard Southern Region for six years and he was an assessor of Coastguard crew for their vessel Master qualification for many years.

Paul had been unwell for some time, and in August 2019 Sumner Lifeboat held a get-together for him. This photo shows Paul with present and past crew.

North Canterbury Coastguard’s Kaiapoi 1 rescue vessel was first launched. Starting from nearer to Motunau, it was able to locate the vessel in difficulty whilst Blue Arrow Rescue was on its way from Sumner.

After assessing the situation, it was decided that it was safer for Blue Arrow Rescue, the larger rescue vessel, to take the yacht under tow. Once the tow was safely set up, Kaiapoi 1 returned to its base with a job well done.

At 4knots and with a choppy 2m swell it was a long and uncomfortable journey to Lyttelton for both Sumner Lifeboat crew and the yachties. All were pleased to enter the sanctuary of the marina where they were met by relief Sumner Lifeboat crew, a St Johns ambulance and a big supply of sandwiches and coffee.

The yachties were checked out by the ambulance crew and all were fine but tired.

The yacht entered the marina secured alongside Blue Arrow Rescue.

The relief crew took Blue Arrow Arrow Rescue back to Sumner whilst the mission crew re-fuelled on coffee and food then headed for bed.

Twelve Sumner crew were involved over a ten and a half hour mission – six on the boat, two relief crew and four shore crew.

The mission was wrapped up at 4:30am, another successful outcome.

This screenshot from the tracking system shows Kaiapoi 1 (yellow) and Blue Arrow Rescue (blue) en route to the target.

Kaiapoi 1 returning to base and Blue Arrow Rescue with the yacht in tow heading for Lyttelton.

When doing close manouevring the vessel must maintain a straight course at a constant speed, and both helicopter and vessel crew must communicate clearly.

The exercise was over 4 hours with many transfers and practices, a great opportunity to hone rescue & recovery skills for everyone involved.

Sumner Lifeboat’s Blue Arrow Rescue was in attendance, with a good outcome – their rescue skills were not put into action as the whole exercise went smoothly.

The only downside was that conditions were perfect with light winds and smooth waters – in a real rescue the weather and sea conditions may be a lot rougher – so on future exercises the team may hope for choppier seas to build their skills!

This article was originally written for print media in 2005 when HamiltonJet Rescue was first commissioned.

HamiltonJet Rescue has played a key role in Sumner Lifeboat’s (SLBI) ability to respond to surf and inshore rescues since its delivery in 2005.

This article by Paul Smith discusses the vessel’s design, construction, handling and performance.

Planning for and construction of the new craft took around three years.

One of the SLBI Management Committee’s main aims for the project was that Christchurch-based suppliers would be utilized as much as possible. This would allow the Committee to more easily track the project and to implement design solutions as construction proceeded to suit their specific requirements for the boat.

Design

THE NEW BOAT ON WHEELS

In addition to the feedback gained from lifeboat crews and their experience with previous water jet propelled surf rescue boats, the committee was also aware of compliance requirements from both the Royal New Zealand Coast Guard Federation and the Maritime Safety Authority. It was considered these could be best addressed with the use of a Naval Architect to design the vessel and its subsequent construction to be subject to Survey. For the Institute, the new boat would incorporate a number of significant design innovations that, in terms of its intended use, rendered the new craft very much a prototype. Once finalized, the brief was forwarded to Richard McBride who has a number of successful designs to his credit utilizing water jet propulsion.

One of the main developments in the design was the incorporation of closed cell foam fendering and the associated fixing system. ‘Caroline Nicholson’ being a RIB, used inflatable bags that were vulnerable to puncture when the vessel operated close in to and against sharp, shell covered rocks and when coming alongside of ships and wharves with sharp projections.

Other design features include modules that can be easily removed to facilitate access for maintenance, repair and replacement as required. For example, the center command console can be lifted out as a complete unit to access for’d areas of the hull and engine cover assembly for engine and water jet access.

The hull itself follows conventional design criteria being a deep vee monohedron. However, the complete design package has been configured to optimize performance of the boat in breaking surf conditions.

Construction

THE NEW BOAT

The tender to construct the new lifeboat was won by CWF Hamilton & Co Ltd subsidiary Hamilton Marine Ltd. This company has a long history of custom and production boat building and has supplied goods and services to the SLBI for a number of previous projects. In addition, it has an excellent and longstanding working relationship with McBride Design.

The hull, deck, foc’s’le assembly is constructed from fully welded marine grade aluminum alloy to form a solid and rigid monocoque. All engineering construction is to Survey and no compromises were made in regards to ensuring the vessel is plenty strong enough to cope with the adverse sea conditions it may be required to operate in.

The foam fender system supplied by Fender Solutions, a subsidiary of Christchurch’s Butler Marine Ltd., is not new having been implemented successfully in various military and oil industry applications in Singapore, Venezuela and Australia. In NZ, a similar system was used by McLay Boats for their ‘McLay Softies’, but the lifeboat’s affixing system is unique in that the T-bar fender is bolted through the hull topsides from inside and the foam is used as a cushion against impact as well as offering additional buoyancy and therefore stability. The fixing system allows the fenders or sections thereof, to be repaired or replaced in the event of damage. The D profile fenders remain constant in size from the transom to a point about 3 metres for’d., from where they then taper. This allows better visibility from the helm when maneuvering in closely confined quarters and produces less lift when the craft is operating in breaking surf thereby reducing the likelihood of being tipped over end for end in a worst case scenario.

The ‘closed cell’ foam is protected with an outer coating of ‘Rhino Lining’ a spray applied urethane the same as that found on deck linings of utility vehicles, which makes for easy clean and low maintenance.

Layout

THE HAMILTON JET AT FULL SPEED

The layout of the vessel is again optimized to suit its intended use. The short foredeck has non-slip rubber over its entire area and this extends down each side deck. The small fore cabin provides a measure of shelter and is accessed via a solid alloy door to starboard of the helm. Around the main station, there are three waterproof storage lockers containing ready to use equipment such as flares, tow ropes, first aid kits etc which allow the crew to access them without having to get into the fore cabin.

The centrally mounted helm station is also optimized to allow the skipper to concentrate on helming the vessel without unnecessary distraction. Immediately in front of him is situated the GPS repeater, compass and control microphone plus alarms for bilge, engine coolant and engine oil pressure. The Morse forward/reverse control lever is ergonomically located with its own support rail while the helm is solid stainless steel. A foot throttle is preferred for greater control in difficult operating conditions. The skipper remains standing at all times and a solid, adjustable backrest provides support and stability when the boat is thrown about.

The master control station is monitored by the crew and is located in a centrally mounted console immediately aft of the helm station. It houses twin VHF radios, the engine instrumentation, the Navman Tracker 5600 GPS (linked to the repeater on the dash) and the actuator for the electric over hydraulic operated intake screen rake (to clear debris such as seaweed, rubbish etc which could be ingested into the water jet).

A solid stainless steel towing post is centrally mounted and is detachable if required. The console supports solid alloy grab rails for the crew and the entire fo’c ‘sle is topped with similar grab rails. The engine box console is has a padded

top which is level with the cockpit coamings allowing level stowage across the rear of the cockpit for such things as stretcher(s), kayaks, surfboards and the like. Another locker immediately aft of the engine box gives access to the driveline and water jet while the sand trap can be quickly viewed through a Perspex panel.

The cockpit sole is tread plate alloy and is self-draining with a large scupper in each rear corner. A large alloy framed boarding platform with teak slats is mounted across the transom above the water jet. In addition to boarding, it provides a measure of protection to the water jet steering nozzle when the boat is operated in close proximity to rocks, bluffs, wharves etc.

Engineering & Propulsion

THE ENGINE

The engine is a 5.7 litre Marine Power Jetpac multipoint fuel injected V8 based on the Chevrolet 350 Vortec small block. The engine was supplied by Marine Power agent, Performance Engine Centre of Christchurch and develops 325HP. The engines are a turn-key marine package and this one features a closed circuit heat exchanger cooling system.

The engine has been mounted a little further for’d in the boat to provide a more central Longitudinal Centre of Gravity and is of benefit in this type of application. It has been coupled to the HamiltonJet HJ213 water jet via a H-Bar shaft.

The HJ213 water jet has been specifically designed for permanent immersion in salt water and the shafting and bearing capacities have been upgraded so they are suitable for high load diesel engines. These jets also feature a hydraulically actuated forward / reverse bucket which is of particular benefit in this lifeboat application.

Other engineering solutions have been incorporated into this craft that are simple but extremely effective. For example, if the sand trap is inadvertently left open (thereby possibly depriving the engine cooling system of cold water) the main locker cannot be closed. This provides a simple visual indication that something is not as it should be and could prevent an engine failure.

Performance & Handling

AN EXCELLENT PERFORMER

Paul Lawson, SLBI Coxswain, is delighted with the performance, handling and overall capability of the new vessel. On her maiden voyage, ‘HamiltonJet Rescue’ was tested in a 3.5 metre breaking surf. Surf Skipper, Geoff Williams admitted to a little trepidation at first but this quickly gave way to excitement and delight as he explored the capabilities of the new craft.

On our demonstration run, the sea conditions off Sumner Bay were considerably less demanding, but a 1 to 1.5 metre swell allowed us to get accustomed to the boat. First impressions are the solid feel of the boat on the water with no annoying rattles or squeaks, the extreme maneuverability offered at all speeds, but in particular the ease of close quarters maneuvers at displacement where the hydraulic reverse bucket really shows it’s worth, and the thrust when the throttle is opened from 3000 rpm.

Geoff was happy to demonstrate the grip of the water jet in the aerated water of the cresting waves on the Sumner bar. He showed us the ability of the jet boat to quickly bear away from any particularly threatening waves and, of course, the jets ability to operate satisfactorily in quite shallow water. In these conditions the water jet stands head and shoulders above outboard powered RIB’s making a nonsense out of that silly myth that ‘jets are no good in the sea’. One of the other important considerations of water jet propulsion in this type of application is the ability to come alongside people in the water without fear of causing potentially serious injury by the exposed propeller.

The overall balance of the craft was also evident in a following sea with no tendency whatever toward broaching when surfing down the front of some larger swells. The boat tracked straight and true.

Conclusions

‘HamiltonJet Rescue’ is the latest in a long line of surf rescue boats operated by the Sumner Lifeboat Institution Inc., and she incorporates many of the worthy features of her predecessors. However, there is sufficient design and engineering innovation to classify the boat as a ‘prototype’ in terms of her intended use. The performance of the craft to date has more than justified the Institution’s faith in all the suppliers and contractors involved in this project and it would be hard to ignore this craft as now being a blue-print for future surf rescue craft for other units around the country.

It should be noted that the sponsorship agreement between SLBI and HamiltonJet was negotiated separately to the purchase of ‘HamiltonJet Rescue’ and is not representative of a ‘discounted’ supply. It is a reflection of HamiltonJet’s belief that the naming rights of this vessel provide an excellent opportunity for the company to demonstrate the capabilities of its product in the most demanding situations while at the same time being able to assist a deserving local organization.

Suppliers to HamiltonJet Rescue

Design: McBride Design, Nelson

Boat: Hamilton Marine Ltd., ChCh

Water jet: CWF Hamilton & Co Ltd., ChCh

Trailer: Jetstream Services Ltd., ChCh

Engine: Performance Engine Centre Ltd., ChCh

Electronics: Ocean Electronics Ltd.,ChCh, Tait Electronics Ltd., ChCh

Fendering: Fender Solutions, ChCh

Engineering Solutions: Wood & Thompson, Marine Engineers, ChCh