04/04/2026
๐ ๐ง๐๐ฐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ง
Good Friday was indeed a good day for Tully Coast Guard as our new vessel had its first official outing, and it was an interesting one.
We were tasked by the Cairns Water Police to board an unmanned drifting vessel, in this case a large steel trawler, and attempt to improve the anchoring by letting out more chain.
It was a very rough trip down to the Cardwell but the new vessel did exceptionally well and the double chine design worked like a shock absorber.
Fortunately, the wind dropped once we arrived which made it safe enough for Don and Dan to board the vessel and see what they could do. They were able to release the second anchor and some chain which should help reduce the drifting.
As soon as our two intrepid crew members got back on the boat the wind picked up leading to another fun trip back to the base.
We took photos and sent them to the Cairns Water Police who forwarded them on to Maritime Safety Queensland who are responsible for dealing with drifting unmanned vessels.
All in all, a very interesting first outing for TU21 and the crew.
