Meet the local heroes, Coastguard

With 50% of Aotearoa’s adult population involved in recreational boating, Coastguard New Zealand is busier than ever. Coastguard volunteers keep a close eye on our waterways to help prevent incidents and respond to call-outs when things don’t go to plan out there.

Tower and Coastguard share a long history of supporting Kiwis when the unexpected happens, that’s why we’ve joined forces to support even more boaties out on the water.

We believe it’s important that we all continue to support Coastguard’s efforts to keep us all safe. We can do this in many different forms including donating, volunteering, purchasing Coastguard memberships or up-skilling via Coastguard safety courses.

All these things help reduce incidents on the water, which can happen even to the most experienced of boaties.

To help people understand a bit more about the organisation we’re so proud to support, we talked to Alex McAndrew, a Coastguard volunteer from Hawke’s Bay.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Alex McAndrew, I’m 33-years-old, I’ve been a Coastguard volunteer since 2014 and I’m a Senior Crew member onboard ‘Celia Knowles’.

Born and bred in Auckland, I moved down to the Hawke’s Bay in 2013 to escape the rat-race and joined the local unit shortly afterwards. I’ve been boating all my life, starting out from a young age with a three metre dinghy with my father and slowly upgrading over the years.

I’m not a fisherman but have used boats to explore harbours and have fun with watersports. During the week I work as a Software Developer for a local IT company. On the weekends you’ll find me renovating our old house (slowly) or tinkering on my ex-army V8 Land Rover. Keeping me company at home is my partner Kate (who I met through Coastguard; her father used to be a Skipper in our unit), and 10-year-old son Jordan. Also keeping us fit is our 8-year-old dog, Oscar.

What led you to volunteer your time with Coastguard?

I’ve always loved boating and being on the ocean. I had wanted to join from my teenage years but living too far away from the base in Auckland meant I couldn’t. As soon as I moved to the Hawke’s Bay (and only five minutes from base) I signed up as soon as I could.

I enjoy the challenge of responding to call-outs at any time of day or night, especially when the bad weather is bringing people home. The camaraderie amongst the crew is fantastic. We have plenty of laughs but can pull together and execute a search and rescue response with care and professionalism when required.

Another advantage of becoming a Coastguard volunteer is the knowledge you learn. The rules of the road so to speak; navigation, helming, search and rescue techniques to name a few, all of which allow you to become a better boatie yourself, as well as being great life skills in general. Being a part of Coastguard is my way of giving back to the community.

What does your typical day as a Coastguard volunteer look like?

In our unit, a typical day is either a Wednesday evening or Sunday morning, as this is when we have our on-water training.

Each Wednesday evening, we all get together and are updated with what is going on in our unit, and then hit the water for some night training. This allows us to brush up on our search and rescue skills in the dark. Sunday morning training sessions are more tailored for our trainee crew. Depending on the time of year, you could also see us out and about in the community selling raffle tickets or doing boat checks at the fishing club.

However, there is no such thing as a ‘typical day’ when our pagers are triggered and we are called-out. We could be expected to tow a vessel that’s broken-down, perform a search for an overdue vessel, rescue people in the water or any other on-water emergency. We are available and ready to respond 24/7 in all sorts of weather conditions.

What was the most memorable mission?

I have a few but the first that comes to mind was a call-out in 2019, which started as a lost vessel coming around Cape Kidnappers during a severe storm, with four to five metre waves. We were tasked with heading out to the vessel so it could follow us back to port.

Just before we left, we received a radio call that the vessel's engines had stalled and could not be restarted, so it had begun to drift towards the remote black reef at the cape. We got to the vessel in the nick of time before it hit the rocks and were able to secure a tow line, and get it back to Napier Harbour safely.

The genuine thanks we received from the crew after the mission, knowing that they may not have survived their vessel breaking up in the severe weather, will stay with me for a long time.

What’s your best advice to new boaties?

You’ve invested in the boat, now make sure you invest in your safety as well. Do some of the boating courses; Dayskipper and VHF are a great starting point and make sure you have appropriate safety gear on board - and most importantly, know how to use them!

Become a Coastguard member, your wallet will thank you if you ever need to be towed back into port and it happens to the best of us. Also make sure you log a trip report each time you head out - it makes our job that much easier if we need to come and rescue you.

What are the ways people can get involved in Coastguard?

Become a Coastguard member. This supports your local unit and also means it is much cheaper if you ever need to be towed back to port. You can also support us by purchasing raffle tickets during our summer lotteries. Tickets are usually $10 and from that, $7 goes directly into the unit you purchased it from to help keep them operating.

Depending on the unit, there are also various intakes during the year for new volunteers to come on board. This includes boat crew, radio room crew, or shore crew who perform all sorts of duties around the base. Get in contact with your local unit if you’re keen to get involved!

Tower boat insurance customers can also enjoy $30 off Coastguard individual memberships for additional peace of mind while out on the water, see our Ts&Cs. To find out more about our boat insurance policies, click here.