• A busy Adelaide Cup long weekend
• South East Field Days-Lucindale
• Check your solid buoyancy lifejackets
• Check your lifejacket parts
• Boat ramp launching and retrieving tips
• New webcams live at St Kilda
• Is your boat Ship-Shape for boating?

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A busy Adelaide Cup long weekend

_{Photos above:   Marine Safety Vessel in the sunset patrolling over the Adelaide Cup long weekend.}

Sunshine and clear skies made for a fantastic Adelaide Cup long weekend on our State’s waters. While many were out enjoying the weather, Marine Safety Officers were busy ensuring everyone stayed safe.

Marine Safety Officers conducted 264 vessel inspections while stationed on water and at boat ramps across the ocean and river. Around 40% of vessels were non-compliant, which means they failed at least one component of the vessel inspection.

We urge all boaters to ensure they are meeting safety and licensing requirements before heading out on the water. Nothing ruins a day faster than a fine or, worse, an incident you are not prepared for.

Key concerns included speeding vessels around launching areas, failure to wear lifejackets and unlicensed operators, particularly on the River Murray.

In addition to compliance, our team focused on education. Another popular Stay Afloat clinic was held at the O’Sullivan Beach boat ramp. These clinics aim to help boaters maintain their lifejackets and ask any boating safety questions. We have helped to check more than 300 lifejackets at the Stay Afloat clinics since they started, with more clinics to come – find out when we will be near you.

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Events

South East Field Days - Lucindale

The South-East Field Days in Lucindale are being held on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 March 2025. Come and meet our Marine Safety SA team who, for the first time, will be at our own site with our Marine Safety SA education trailer.

The team will be conducting two Stay Afloat lifejacket clinics each day from 10-11am and 1-2pm. Visit our Stay Afloat clinics to:

• learn how to wear and maintain your lifejacket
• know what safety gear you need
• understand emergency communications.

Our team can also help you understand the different types of lifejackets, and how to clean, size and fit a lifejacket.

Need help with a specific lifejacket? Bring it along!

Some lifejacket replacement parts will also be available free of charge.

The clinics are free and walk-in friendly. No bookings required!

For more information and other clinic times and locations visit the Marine Safety SA website.

In addition to the Stay Afloat lifejacket clinics at the Field Days, our team will be on hand to answer any boating safety questions and distribute free boating safety educational stickers – you will also have the chance to win a lifejacket during the event!

The team will once again be a part of the Blue Yakka Trail, where children can show off their boating safety and lifejacket knowledge and be rewarded with a Marine Safety SA sports drink bottle for their efforts.

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Lifejackets

Check your solid buoyancy lifejackets

_{Photo (Above): Bring your solid buoyancy lifejackets to a Stay Afloat clinic for help with inspecting}

Solid buoyancy lifejackets are not required to be serviced every 12 months, however it is highly recommended to check them regularly for:

• fraying of the lifejacket fabric
• damage to any straps, buckles or clips
• general wear and tear
• compliance with Australian Standard (AS) 4758 or another acceptable international standard.

Manufacturers advise that the average life of a lifejacket is ten years. Marine environments can deteriorate materials including stitching, webbing and nylon. Check out our tips for maintaining your lifejacket.

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Check your lifejacket parts

Our Stay Afloat clinics are highlighting some common issues with inflatable lifejackets, including:

• rusted or corroded cannisters
• cannisters that have been used (making them useless if you needed to set them off)
• holes in the bladder of the lifejacket
• cannisters underweight (not enough CO2 in them to inflate the lifejacket)
• green indicator clips missing from the manual firing mechanism
• frayed activating cords and straps.

Don’t worry if you are unable to attend a clinic – you can find our checklist online to help ensure your lifejacket is in ship shape condition.

And don’t forget to manually blow up your lifejacket and leave it out overnight to check for slow leaks before repacking it ready for use.

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Safety

Boat ramp launching and retrieving tips

_{Photo (above):  Make sure your safety chain is connected when retrieving your boat or you could end up with your vessel sliding off the trailer}

Some recent hot weather and low wind conditions have meant boat ramps are super busy across the State.

Please be patient and take care when launching and retrieving your vessel. Our simple steps will help the process go smoothly and safely.

Launching

• Visit a boat ramp that is new to you, without your boat – check how slippery it is and the drop off.
• Prepare your boat and trailer away from the boat ramp in the rigging area. Make sure you have charged your battery at home. When you get to the rigging area
  • remove covers and trailer straps
  • flick on the battery master switch
  • tilt the outboard engine up
  • put your bungs in (vital to stop your boat filling with water and potentially sinking)
  • prime your motor and get deck lines ready (always have a line from the bow of your boat so you can control it off your trailer).
• Don't jump the queue – boats coming in off the water have right of way.
• Use one boat lane only.
• Be quick – don't leave your boat tied to the ramp or pontoon for longer than 10 minutes while you park your car and trailer.

Retrieving

• Tides – check if the boat ramp is impacted by low tides and take this into account when retrieving your boat.
• Prepare your boat prior to reaching the boat ramp – organise berthing lines and make sure someone looks after the vessel whilst the trailer is retrieved.
• Raise the outboard – do this before winching the boat onto the trailer.
• Be quick – don't leave your boat tied to the ramp or pontoon for longer than 5 minutes while you get your car and trailer.
• Get the winch cable ready – run the winch cable out and hook it up at the back of the trailer before reversing down the ramp.
• Connect the safety chain – when the boat is in the right position, make sure the safety chain is connected to prevent the boat sliding off the trailer.
• Drive clear – move away from the boat ramp quickly and carefully to allow access for other boaters.
• Prepare your boat for the drive home in the car park area – remove bungs, attach tie down straps and ready the boat for the trip home away from the ramp.

Remember there are slower speed limits in place around boat ramps. Keep to the 4-knot speed limit on the water in these busy areas.

Check out our Marine Safety SA boat ramp webcams to get an indication of how busy the ramps might be and the weather conditions.

Watch this boat ramp etiquette video from our Marine Safety counterparts in WA for more tips.

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Technology

New webcams live at St Kilda

More webcams are now live on our popular Marine Safety SA web camera page: the two St Kilda webcams show the boat ramp and the channel.

These add to the recently launched Wirrina Cove webcams taking our total to eight locations across the State.

The view from the Wirrina Cove breakwater webcam has been adjusted – thank you for your feedback. It now provides a better view of the sea conditions.

All new webcams will be added to the Marine Safety SA web camera page.

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Video of the month

Is your boat Ship-Shape for boating?

Ensure your boat is Ship Shape

As the April school holidays and Easter break approaches, it’s crucial to prioritise vessel maintenance to ensure safety. Boat owners and skippers, you must make sure your boat is seaworthy and passengers are kept safe.

Read these tips on maintaining your vessel.

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