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NEWS
Coffs Harbour boat ramp -- video fails!
Is this the worst ‘city' ramp in Australia? Locals anticipate a serious accident. See the farce below!An amateur video has surfaced showing the perilous state of Coffs Harbour boat ramp. The video was shot at the entrance to Coffs Harbour ramp in less than one hour last Saturday, March 29.
Jagged boulders that form the local breakwalls surround the silted boat-ramp ‘bar.’ Ocean swells add to the danger, as do the seemingly necessary actions of the crew jumping in the water to shove boats with whirring propellers across the sandbar.
Turning to the video below, the first boat, a fibreglass runabout of some unknown vintage, bottoms out as the crew leaps over to lend a helping hand and shunt it through.
The next boat is an aluminium cuddy cabin of about six metres in length. The outboard runs aground and seems stuck in its trimmed-down position. A local swimmer who, at one point appears dangerously close to the prop, saves the day again.
Next comes a fibreglass Markham Whaler cat with twin Yammies trimmed clear of the water, with no steerage at all. It gets swept across the boat-ramp bar towards the rocks, only to be kept from damage and disaster by its crew taking to the water and wading while wearing lifejackets.
Last but not least, a Polycraft centre console sizes up the entrance before peeling away only to have the leg of its Suzuki outboard seemingly strike a rock or the seabed.
The video plays out with circus music in the background to add to the sense of folly. But it's no laughing matter.
The Coffs Coast Advocate has reported that locals are very concerned that a serious accident will eventuate before the ramp entrance is dredged later this year.
BoatPoint and boatsales have seen images of several more serious incidents in recent weeks where boats have been smashed on the adjoining breakwall.
Boaters competing in the hugely popular Easter Fishing Classic run by the local Deep Sea Fishing Club will need to plan around the tides. Vice-president Bill Mabey reportedly said there was a lot of concern in the community.
"It's an undesirable situation the club faces and together with the council we have been working away at the process of an urgent upgrade of the Coffs Harbour boat ramp for two years now," Mr Mabey told The Advocate.
“There's a lot of frustration in the community but the great challenges with a million-dollar project are the planning and approval components that are needed before land is broken.
"Boat skippers are responsible for the safety of their passengers so it's important they plan their fishing trips around the tides."
NSW Minister for Ports Duncan Gay announced funding for a new ramp back in December. The Coffs Harbour City Council reportedly said it was finalising the preliminary designs on the basin and breakwater extension.
Clearly, progress is not coming soon enough.
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Written byBoatsales Staff
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