Weather eye needed

By Matt Turner

Here comes the summer, and balmy spells are luring us out onto the water in record number. But the weather can still throw a few curlies, so it pays to pack some protective clothing, keep enough fuel in reserve for the unexpected, and always check the forecast before you set out.

Don’t forget that if you’re a Coastguard member you can register your cellphone to receive the Nowcasting service, which provides text updates on tides and weather for the Auckland region and Hauraki Gulf. Details and fees can be found on the Coastguard Northern Region website www.coastguard.org.nz

And of course, regular weather bulletins are available to all VHF users, broadcast locally on channels 20 (Leigh, Kawau, Doubtless Bay), 21 (Waitemata) and 22 (Outer Hauraki Gulf), as well as channels 80 and 82.

Overboard: With summer being the busiest time of the year for Coastguard, we plan to be actively on the water throughout the period from December 23 to January 22. The run-up to the high season has seen our crews going through extra exercises off Stanmore Bay, including victim recovery, a large part of which is practice in hauling people out of the water and checking for hypothermia. Quick action here can be a lifesaver, since even in high summer the surface water seldom tops 23°C, well below body temperature. If you fall overboard, bear in mind that water will draw heat away from the body around 25 times faster than still air, and most of your body heat is lost within the first few minutes of immersion. If there is more than one of you in the water, and you cannot get out, huddle together to conserve warmth until you can be rescued.

Time to splash out: The festive season also brings the Coastguard summer lottery, and to make sure you don’t miss out on the opportunity to win big. At intervals during the next few weeks our volunteers will be selling tickets in the Whangaparaoa Plaza and other public places. Tickets cost $10 each, and top prizes include a car, boats, barbecues, tools and more. It is funding like this from generous members of the community that helps us provide a year-round service.

Published December 14, 2011