Canterbury SAREX: a major maritime search and rescue exercise
Sumner Lifeboat took part in 2021’s first large-scale maritime search and rescue exercise (SAREX) on 19 April. Hosted by Coastguard North Canterbury at their Kaiapoi base and run by Coastguard New Zealand and Canterbury Police, it involved about 70 people, almost all volunteers. Crews from Coastguard North Canterbury, Sumner Lifeboat, Coastguard Canterbury, Coastguard Kaikoura, Coastguard […]
Heather McDonald revalidated as skipper
Congratulations to Heather McDonald! In early April she was revalidated as a Coastguard Rescue Vessel skipper (officially called an ISC Master). It’s a rigorous assessment that has to be done every 5 years to ensure the skipper of the vessel is still meeting the required standards. Heather has been a crew member at Sumner Lifeboat […]
Q1 2021: volunteers working together
The first quarter of 2021 was themed on working with other rescue organisations – Coastguard units, Surf Life Saving NZ, and Sumner Fire Brigade. January heralded the America’s Cup challenger series and brought a special treat for crew members Camilla Gibbons, Patrice de Beer & Yvonne de Beer. They were guest crew on Coastguard Auckland […]
2020 In Review
2020 in review: a relatively quiet year, with 28 callouts, including several at night or at dusk. All incidents could have had serious consequences. They were a mix of surfers or boarders in big seas, broken down boats and missing persons. Our volunteer crew always responded rapidly, with typically 10-12 boat and shore crew […]
Congrats to Blair Quane, our Coxswain & CG Skipper
Well done to Blair Quane who recently was revalidated as a Coastguard skipper (officially called an ISC Master). The skipper is in charge of the rescue vessel, so it’s not an easy qualification to achieve and maintain. Blair also attained a navigation qualification, to add to his long list of Coastguard achievements. As […]
Fundraiser: A Celebration of Summer – Postponed
We have decided to postpone our our inaugural Celebration of Summer event. It is now planned for February/March 2021. Our original date of November 2020 proved to be unsuitable for many guests who wanted to attend but had other commitments. Keep a look out for details as we firm up the new date. Meanwhile, enjoy […]
New boat crew – applications close 13/10/2020
Sumner Lifeboat is calling for volunteers to join as boat crew. Applications close this coming Tuesday, 13th October 2020. All training and equipment is provided. Volunteers need to be competent swimmers and physically fit. To find out what’s involved and to get the application form, go to our Volunteer page. Keen to join up? Complete […]
Night search on the estuary
Friday 25 September 2020 20:57 – a big night search on the Avon/Heathcote Estuary for three persons who were reported to be in trouble in the water off Shag Rock. Police tasked Sumner Lifeboat for the on-water search. 14 crew responded and Hamilton Jet Rescue was launched within four minutes, closely followed by Urquhart Trust […]
Six crew attain Coastguard senior & operational levels
Congratulations to Sumner Lifeboat crew who attained new Coastguard statuses in August: Senior Operational level – Finley Passmore and Mike Barber Operational level – Camilla Gibbons, Howard Nicholls, Paul Cowey and Yvonne de Beer. Achieving these levels required passing many theory and practical modules, and culminated with a final assessment by a […]
Alert Level 2 – Back on the Water!
With Alert Level 2 coming into effect on Thursday 14 May 2020, boaties are allowed back on the water and surfing, swimming, kayaking etc. are permitted too. Sumner Lifeboat crew will be on call 24×7, as they were throughout the COVID-19 lockdown. For boaties, there’s some prep you should do before setting out. Coastguard New […]
