Last night, I had the pleasure of being on board G. J. Gardner Ranger to witness the crew taking part in the compulsory annual In Water Survivability Exercise. We travelled to the back of Clarke Island and the crew were given a theoretical scenario whereby there was a fire on board. All efforts had been made to extinguish it and the crew were ordered to Abandon Ship. They had time to grab a jacket and anything that floated and over they went. The purpose of the exercise is to ensure personal and team survival and they had to stay in the water for 20 minutes. They accomplish this using a floating rope to ensure they stay together and they have a grab bag with food and water, radio, etc. We were assisted by the Whangamata Surf IRB, to monitor the crew close up. After 20 minutes they were retrieved, somewhat inelegantly as their jackets were sodden. We then came back into harbor where they had to swim to shore, taking about 15 minutes to do so. This was accomplished by all crew, giving a whole new meaning to the term “Wet Crew”. Congratulations to all. Further photo’s are available in the Gallery.
