Riverton Coastguard volunteers have been saving lives in Foveaux Strait and around the tricky Riverton Bar for some 62 years, and this week they took delivery of a much-needed, flash new $1m, 10m hard-top Naiad rescue boat to do the job in.

Long-time Coastguard member Noel Anderson, left, and president Ross McKenzie, right, in front of the newly-arrived $1m Coastguard vessel, Russell John Chisholm. Photo: Supplied

Purpose-built by Invercargill engineering firm, Gough Bros, and also named Russell John Chisholm as was its 8.5m open cabin predecessor, Coastguard Riverton president Ross McKenzie says the new boat was “exceeding expectations” during sea trials today (Thursday, 26 June).

They’re hoping to have all the necessary approvals in place for the new vessel to be in service next week.

Believed to be the Coastguard’s sixth vessel as it’s grown from strength to strength, McKenzie says the previous boat had served the crew well for 25 years, but a new larger, well-equipped vessel was needed to keep Coastguard crews safe in what can be very treacherous seas.

Both boats are named after 7-year-old Russell Chisholm whose body was never found after a Cessna carrying 10 passengers plunged into Foveaux Strait in 1998.

Both Naiad’s the new vessel, powered by twin V6 Yamaha outboard engines, has been fitted with the latest in navigation and night vision equipment, including Ray Marine electronics and FLIR thermal camera imaging which can sense solid objects and heat, also producing a coloured picture in the dark.

McKenzie says it’s automated much of the manual work the volunteers have had to do up until now, including mathematically calculating search patterns.

“This boat is going to vastly improve our search capabilities around the clock,” he says.

“It will mean less time is wasted and more eyes looking out to the water.” Its larger size and hard top will make training for the crew a lot more pleasant, especially in winter too.

It’s all part of a $1.6m upgrade at Riverton Coastguard Headquarters that’s taken over four years, 60% of the funds raised locally, including grant funding.

“We’ve had very generous support from many parties, including continued support from the Chisholm family based overseas, the Fiordland Lobster Company and Coastguard NZ.”

Locals have been hugely supportive too through the Coastguard’s donor support scheme.

Ready for action, the new Riverton Coastguard vessel. Photo: Supplied

The upgrade includes a brand new shed adjacent to the old one to be used for indoor training and to house the rescue jetski, a tractor, and extended boat ramp.

The Coastguard now has 17 ‘wet crew’ volunteers, four of them trained skippers who are currently being re-certified for the new vessel.

“All up, counting our shore crew we have about 25 volunteers, aged from about 30 through to nearly 70, but we’re always keen for more new younger ones,” McKenzie says.

Noel Anderson has been a Riverton Coastguard volunteer for more than 50 years, joining up in 1972 with the original Taramea Bay Coastguard, as it was previously known.

“I used to do sea rescue work on my father’s fast fishing boat out on the Bar when I was a kid.”

The Taramea Coastguard first started in 1958 with a 15ft (4.5m) second-hand wooden clinker purchased out of local concern after two young Riverton boys in a dinghy that capsized drowned on Riverton Bar.

“The parents had told the boys not to go out in the dinghy, but they sneaked and hid down so as not to be spotted,” Anderson recalls.

It was a huge tragedy for the community and locals got together and raised funds for the first rescue boat.

Anderson’s seen a number of terrible tragedies on the Bar and out on the Strait over the years, also including last year’s triple drowning on the Bar and three other separate drownings.

The new Riverton Coastguard vessel heads out to sea trials. Photo: Supplied

“Riverton’s one of the safest bars in New Zealand because of the small volume of water that exits over it but unfortunately it catches out the odd boatie,” he says.

“The worst rescues I've been on are obviously the fatalities, compounded many times over when the victims are known to you."

"We’ve had some shockers.”

Many of those who’ve died have died of hyperthermia from the chilly waters.

“That’s why our service has got to be quick and swift.”

The Coastguard averages 12 to 14 rescues a year, with no set pattern between winter and summer, whether that be commercial fishing boats or recreational boats.

There’s always a huge variation in calls from horses, dogs and sheep needing rescued to aeroplane crashes and capsized fishing boats.

Anderson says the weather is the service’s biggest handicap, being based 46 degrees south.

“Some of the wild weather can be quite challenging, hence our need for a bigger model of boat to ensure our own crew are safer.”

Locals gather for an early blessing of the new Riverton Coastguard vessel. Photo: Supplied

Riverton Coastguard volunteers gathered last night (Wednesday 26 June) to celebrate the arrival of the new vessel with a special blessing by Ōraka-Aparima Rūnaka kāhui kaumatua Teoti Jardine, with Scobies Transport supplying the pilot vehicle and Barret Ag the tractor to bring Russell John Chisholm home.

An official blessing, launching and naming ceremony will be held on August 16 with the public encouraged to come and celebrate the new vessel and upgrade.