Geraldton Crews Respond to Unmanned Boat Incident

On 22 January at around 11:00am, a fisherman returning to port noticed a runabout travelling in reverse with no one on board. After taking a closer look, he saw belongings that suggested someone had been on the vessel earlier. Realising something wasn’t right, he contacted police, who then alerted Water Police, before beginning a search of the immediate area himself.

Marine Rescue Geraldton were notified shortly after and issued a crew callout via BART at 11:21am. Nashira was on the water by 11:47am and began searching the last known position. A second crew was assembled for Mimosa, which joined the search at 12:00pm.

At 12:50pm, Fremantle Water Police provided updated coordinates based on drift modelling, indicating the most likely location of a person in the water. By this time, the Geraldton Port Authority pilot boat had also joined the operation. All three vessels moved northwest and began a coordinated line search, working west to east and gradually moving south. A north to south sweep was also completed in case the person had attempted to swim toward shore.

The search continued in a creeping line pattern until, at approximately 2:15pm, the Port Authority vessel reported a sighting.

The crew aboard Jorgensen brought the man on board, though it was clear he was in distress. Despite water temperatures sitting around 23 to 24 degrees, the man, in his sixties, was suffering from hypothermia. He was transported back to port and handed over to waiting paramedics before being taken to hospital, where he spent a couple of days recovering.

Following the rescue, Marine Rescue were asked to assist with relocating his vessel from the Fishing Boat Harbour to the Francis Street boat ramp so his family could retrieve it. Nashira completed the tow and helped the family load the boat onto the trailer, even locating his car keys on board in the process. The entire operation, including the recovery, was wrapped up by 4:30pm.

Later, the man, Ken, met with his rescuers and explained what had happened. While fishing, he had started the motor to reposition when a wave hit the boat. To avoid injury, he chose to go overboard, but in doing so accidentally knocked the gear lever into reverse. Although he was wearing a life jacket, he initially didn’t inflate it as he was able to swim to a nearby marker buoy. After holding on for some time, he let go due to barnacles cutting him and the concern of attracting marine life, deciding instead to float and wait for rescue.

He later described feeling hot and wanting to remove his clothes, a clear sign of advanced hypothermia, only held back by the thought of embarrassment when rescued.

All in all, a very successful outcome and a strong reflection of the teamwork, coordination, and training that made it possible.