Coastguard has been busy

Coastguard Protector clocks up 9 years’ boating in just 12 months!

Auckland Coastguard’s year-old 8.5m Rayglass Protector, Trillian Rescue Alpha, has clocked up an impressive 900 hours on the water in her first year of operation ? equivalent to 9 years normal recreational boating!

Greg Smith, Trillian Rescue Alpha’s crew chief, says most recreational boat owners do “about 100” hours of boating each year, mostly in warm, settled conditions.

“In contrast,” he says, “Trillian Rescue Alpha has completed some 900 hours in conditions that were often cold, windy and very rough.

“Yet, despite all that hard work, the 8.5m Protector still looks and performs like a new boat. She is a very impressive machine.”

Trillian Rescue Alpha’s predecessor, Auckland Rescue Alpha, another 8.5m Protector, clocked up a stunning 5000 hours in her 8 years of service. In that time, she travelled 123,500 nautical miles... the equivalent of 5.7 circumnavigations of the planet!