Just another day at the office for our Port Phillip Sea Pilots! - local photographer Lester Hunt snapped this image of the Corsair cutting through high seas during last Wednesday's storm
An amazing video, shot by Point Lonsdale photographer Lester Hunt during this week's storm, shows just how precarious the job of a Port Phillip Sea Pilot can be - https://vimeo.com/174476836
The footage was taken on Wednesday (July 13), when seas in Port Phillip were at 7.5 metres and winds were reaching as much as 40 knots.
The state of the art Corsair disappears almost entirely from view beneath monster waves whilst manoeuvring the treacherous Rip at Port Phillip heads before bobbing, seemingly impossibly, back up to the surface.
The shipping channel is rarely closed nowadays in storm conditions - largely due to the incredible safety capabilities of the ever-improving fleet of pilot boats.
The ultra high-tech Corsair arrived in Queenscliff just over a year ago, replacing the Akuna. Built by Mornington-based Hart Marine it includes a roll-over capability and according to the Port Phillip Sea Pilots (PPSP) is the safest craft ever built for local conditions.
The death of three sea pilots in 1991 has been the catalyst for a steady replacement of vessels over the past two decades. The trio drowned after their launch the George Tobin flipped in high seas.
Gale force winds combined with king tides forced Swan Bay to break its banks, leaving Queenscliff Golf Club members high and dry and the Queenscliff-Lonsdale Yacht Club marooned.
The footage was taken on Wednesday (July 13), when seas in Port Phillip were at 7.5 metres and winds were reaching as much as 40 knots.
The state of the art Corsair disappears almost entirely from view beneath monster waves whilst manoeuvring the treacherous Rip at Port Phillip heads before bobbing, seemingly impossibly, back up to the surface.
The shipping channel is rarely closed nowadays in storm conditions - largely due to the incredible safety capabilities of the ever-improving fleet of pilot boats.
The ultra high-tech Corsair arrived in Queenscliff just over a year ago, replacing the Akuna. Built by Mornington-based Hart Marine it includes a roll-over capability and according to the Port Phillip Sea Pilots (PPSP) is the safest craft ever built for local conditions.
The death of three sea pilots in 1991 has been the catalyst for a steady replacement of vessels over the past two decades. The trio drowned after their launch the George Tobin flipped in high seas.
Gale force winds combined with king tides forced Swan Bay to break its banks, leaving Queenscliff Golf Club members high and dry and the Queenscliff-Lonsdale Yacht Club marooned.
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