The Gun Patrol of Avalon Beach Surf Life Saving Club!
A Short History
Ahh! The good old days when men were men and beach-goers felt secure in their surfing pursuits and 'dodgy Roger' took the IRB to sea with Searly as his crew! (while Wazza took care of the beach!?) - March 2002!
Must be about 2002 or 2003 by the look of when I saved it - The Gun Patrol! Photo by Waz.
Lovely photo by Waz. Sunday morning patrol 21/10/2007 Donovan with Rog. Driving.
Whale of a Tale
A Humpback whale and calf came into Avalon Beach one Sunday morning, while Roger Sayers and Donovan Macintosh were on patrol in the IRB as water safety for the weekly surf swim, which had just finished.
Mother whale was huge and the calf was two to three times the boat length (4m).
Staying the required distance away from them, they enjoyed the whales’ company while they enjoyed Sydney's cooler water (19) after Queensland, on their way down the coast to the Antarctic for Summer.
There had been other whales go past the headland since patrol started earlier in the day, but these two came right into the bay - maybe for a short break, to feed the calf, or just being curious. They came in toward the beach and cruised just outside the breakers, slowly making their way around the bay for maybe half an hour to the delight of the crowd on the beach and surfers in the water before heading South. Still together! 2008 –
The Gun Patrol. Waz’s camera but there’s Waz in the photo! How does he do it!?
A quiet morning on patrol
Sunday of the Aussie Day long weekend 2008 – Hot, sunny, biggish surf, lots of visitors on the beach, about 50 boardriders crowded together at North Av – many non-locals. Flags just north of the rocks in the middle.
AR 4 on patrol – Al Crosky, Mark Heffernan, Kevin Veale, Bruce Muston, Geoff Searl,
Bill Wall subbing for Waz, and me.
Billie and I go out in the duck for Nippers water safety. Not much fuel in the tank but it’ll do for the time being. We’re not out there long, as the water event course is shortened considerably because of the heavy surf.
Billie and I go out again for the 11 o’clock swim, ask a couple of non-local boardriders to stop drifting into the flags, and quickly retrieve the swim buoy which has washed inside the break – good practice for rescues. It’s lost its anchor, so Billie offers to be a sea anchor and dives out with the buoy – about a thousand metres from shore, I think was Tim’s request. Bill throws it further out to sea as Col Campbell approaches.
A first time swimmer rounds the buoy and asks us to watch him on the way back in, as he’s a bit tired. Bill suggests he could jump out again and swim in with him (what’s with this compulsion to jump out of the boat??) – “No. Al’s swimming beside him. We’ll watch from here. You stay in case I need a crewman.”
Then… as Pete Akehurst says… it all happens when you least expect it… Kev’s on the radio: “Can you check on those swimmers in the Nth Av rip”…
We can’t see them – too many boardriders between us and the rip. We head round - “There..” says Bill, pointing to a group of people trying to swim against the rip, getting nowhere. Two who’ve seen us, now have their arms in the air.
The rip is running out strongly, sets are coming in, water moving everywhere, boardriders catching waves, paddling back out - and a bunch of swimmers who are keen, to say the least, to get into the boat.
Now kids… I want you to practice this when there’s no one around to run over… Boat, driver and crew work as one, like a well oiled machine (Billie likes that kind of talk)…
Driving in against the rip rather than running out with it, you have better control, as the swimmers can drift up to you. Point out to the swimmers where you want to them to stay for the pick up…not swim to the boat. Time your turn allowing for the runout and keep the bow pointed out to sea …quickly grab arms, legs, anything, keeping one hand on the throttle ready to accelerate, and one eye on the sets – good fun. Pile bodies into boat – one male about 50 completely stuffed, one girl late twenties puffing, one male about 30something tired..
“Is that everyone?? I thought there were more of you?” Completely Stuffed (CS) raises head to look over pontoon – points back to man with his arm in the air –
“He came out to get me.. It seemed so calm near the shore.. and the next thing we were out here.”
Hmm.. quick decision time – the boat is already chockers with 3 adult passengers and 2 crew…
Conditions are definitely not conducive (some might even say risky) for another pick up with that load… Signal to swimmer # 4 you’ll be back in a jiff.
We drive out beyond the break to slack water in the lee of the headland: “We’ll have to put you back in the water for a bit”. CS looks concerned and is clearly not up to it – “Not you. You can stay here.”
30something is fine with the idea; Bikini Girl seems hesitant – “Is that OK with you?” .. “If it’s not OK, we can do the rescue with you in the boat - you’re not too heavy”. She rolls out (?!). Billie tosses them the swim buoy and the rescue tube for floatation.
We return in a jiff to swimmer # 4, who by now is looking as tired as CS – “Keep an eye on the sets, Rog.”, says Bill. What’s he think I’m doing ?? Knitting???...
Swimmer # 4 is hauled into the boat like a slippery Tuna and we’re outta there… Driving six in the boat through the break today is not an option – no speed, no manoeuvrability. Ask 30something and Bikini Girl: “You OK??” They signal they’re OK and look like they’re enjoying it. “We’ll be back for you shortly…”
Driving parallel to the beach toward the flag area, judging the sets for the run in though the break..and… the motor stops!... “ Oh Goodness!” (or something similar), “We’re out of fuel.”…
Instant thoughts: 1. Paddling the boat in through that break with CS and #4 is going to be interesting…2. Glad that didn’t happen a couple of minutes ago… “Hang on”, says Bill in the bow. He asks CS to move his butt. “Pump the fuel line now Rog.” he says. Motor starts… purrs. “He’s been sitting on the line”.
We head in, signalling the beach. Two yellow patrol shirts clear an area for us and we gently run up the beach…
CS and #4: “Thanks Fellas”…
Us: “No worries.”
We turn the boat round straight away and head back out, just as a series of largish waves start to break – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… We’re both keenly looking out the back: “How many more waves are there in this set!!??”
Good thing we’re not in a hurry. A couple more waves and we’re out – back to 30something and Bikini Girl, who by now have company… Duncan Herbert, off duty, has paddled out on his board to stay with them… “Thanks Dunc”…We pick them up.
30something: “You’ve done all this before haven’t you.”…
“Once or twice”…
Back on the beach we see Al walking back from Nth Av - “Kevin asked me to go out on the rescue board to get another swimmer (#5) – I was stuffed after the swim.. Now I’m Completely Stuffed.”
No… We had him in the boat.
This rescue was a team effort: Eagle Eye Kevin Veale, who 1. spotted the swimmers in trouble, 2. had made sure there was a radio in the IRB (without both of those, the visiting swim team could still be swimming on such a crowded busy day); Al who went out on the rescue board despite being tired; the rest of the patrol who looked after the swimmers in the flags and were vigilant while all this was going on… off duty Dunc who kept 30something and Bikini Girl company while we were busy dropping off CS and #4… and ‘Happy Grandpas’ Bill and me (I became a Grandpa two days after ).
Pete – sorry, we were just too busy for our patrol inspection…
The point of this fascinating story - besides hopefully passing on some tips from our experience and some reminder lessons we can all learn from as drivers, crews and club members (sort of like a training film in words??) – is that rescues aren’t just thanks to the patrol on the day.
They aren’t possible without well maintained equipment and skilled lifesavers in the club.
So – thanks also to all the team who organise and maintain our IRBs and motors, our Polaris, radios, first aid, oxy vivas, etc, our fundraisers and our sponsors, our training instructors and those who keep us fit with swims, carnivals, IRB racing etc…our administrators who make sure the club keeps ticking over… and of course Warren Mitchell OAM for dreaming up the idea to use inflatable boats for surf rescues.
Roger Sayers
Life Member Publicity Officer
Roger in IRB photo by Geoff Searl summer 2010-2011
A lovely one by Wazza ... in our new jackets
Where's Al? (Crosky)
Gun Patrol 2017
26 December 2017 - Patrol 5 Boxing Day afternoon team effort rescue at 5.30pm (just before sign off)
Jenny Brennen radioed the patrol that a swimmer was in trouble in the North Avalon rip.
Her husband Pete went out on the rescue board and took over from local boardrider Mark Rhodes who by then was supporting the swimmer on his Malibu board.
Richard Cole and Steve Zinger went out in the IRB and picked the swimmer up and brought him back to shore.
'Leif' from Sweden was very grateful. He said “It was scary”. He didn't know that he should have been swimming between the red and yellow flags, and “couldn't understand why the current was there”.
Shortly afterwards three people who'd just arrived at the beach asked Pete and I was it “ok to swim just here”...right where the Warning sign was, and where Leif had entered the water. We said “No” and explained why.
There are lots of visitors to Avalon Beach who aren't familiar with the surf and rips. Clear indications...eg dress, obvious ethnic characteristics. Swimming breaststroke in a rip is a sure sign the person is from Europe eg Scandinavian countries, Germany, etc - traditionally taught to swim using breaststroke rather than freestyle, not familiar with the surf. They will not be able to get themselves out of trouble in a strong rip.
The Club puts warning signs near the rips, does roving patrols, and Patrol Members speak to people one on one.
A rescue might not necessarily be a big deal to people familiar with the surf, but it is for the person who was rescued.
Gun Patrol 2018
Gun Patrol 2019