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New Safe/Sea Rescue Boat Featured at Government Conference
Each year, U.S. government agencies and the maritime community meet to exchange ideas and discuss common issues. This open forum focuses on boats and military craft of today and the future. This event, known as the Multi-Agency Craft Conference (or "MACC") was held June 15-17 at the Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek in Norfolk, Virginia. For those not familiar with the MACC conference, the primary focus is on the boats used by government agencies such as the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and Special Forces units. These vessels include RIB's, patrol and insertion craft, landing craft, utility craft, and special purpose craft. In addition to the many discussions and forums scheduled for this event, boat manufacturers are invited to bring their boats for in-the-water display and demonstration. ALMAR, of Tacoma, WA attended the 2004 MACC with the M/V Safe/Sea Titan as their featured vessel. ALMAR has been custom building Safe/Sea's quick response rescue vessels for a decade now, and felt that this conference was a great venue to showcase their state of the art work. The M/V Safe/Sea Titan is a twenty eight foot by ten foot RIB, and is the second boat built for Safe/Sea this year. The vessel is powered by a single Yanmar 6LYA-STE 370hp after cooled, turbo charged diesel engine, coupled to a Hamilton model 274 jet drive. This package will not only allow the vessel to reach a distressed boater at over thirty knots, but the Hamilton jet also provides unparalelled maneuverability when docking, including the ability to move the vessel directly sideways, as well as turn the vessel within its own length. The electronics suite, supplied by Pawtuxet Marine Electronics, includes a 48 mile Furuno radar, a Northstar 958 color DGPS chartplotter, a custom built 360 degree remote controlled digital video recording system, twin VHF radios, a Motorola private band two way radio, a Horizon Loudhailer, an Azimuth digital compass, and dual ACR remote controlled spotlights. Also included will be Algae-X fuel filters, and an Oil X-Changer oil recovery system. Safe/Sea chose the rigid hull inflatable design for the ninth consecutive time because it gives Customers the peace of mind of not having to worry about any external damage to their boats while tied alongside. This yet again illustrates Safe/Sea's determination to provide the best value and service available to Rhode Island boaters, and to be among the leaders in the commercial assistance industry. "We've taken an already impressive fleet and made it that much better", says Safe/Sea Captain Phil LeBlanc. "After ten years of updating and improving on our original design, we feel that, with our twin jet thirty threes and single jet twenty eights, we have almost achieved the perfect vessels for our particular use." ALMAR Vice President and General Manager Mike Sandeman has decided to run the Titan up the eastern seaboard from Norfolk to Narragansett Bay on its own bottom, so Rhode Island boaters should expect to see the Titan in service by late June, immediately following the conclusion of the MACC conference. |
click thumbnail to enlarge
Almar General Manager Mike Sandeman and C-Port Executive Director Fiona Morgan aboard the Safe/Sea Titan at the MACC Conference in Norfolk.
This vessel is the prototype of the next generation USCG Utility boat, said to have the inside track to replace the USCG's old 41 footers.
Captain John helps out at the show by using his Safe/Sea truck to launch a 21' Coast Guard boat.
C-Port Executive Director Fiona Morgan checks out the pilothouse of the new Safe/Sea Titan. |
by Captain Phil Leblanc
