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NEWS
Google to the rescue
Two men in a tinnie saved by search engineThere was a time not that long ago when rescue and maritime authorities discouraged phoning for help. Marine radio it must be. But in today’s mobile-mad world, help really is at your fingertips. Take the boating self-help story that unfolded on Port Phillip Bay on Monday.
After buying a second-hand 4.5-metre long tinnie, a Melbourne man named Mario and his mate launched at Patterson Lakes, a suburb in the south-east of the city. The outboard wouldn’t start but when they eventually got it going they decided to head out further into the bay for a fish. No such a smart thing.
After fishing for a while, the engine refused to start again. When it did start, the engine wouldn’t go into gear. But rather than call for help, they used the phone to Google “how to get a Johnson motor into gear."
There, in the ether, was instruction about how to get their outboard going.
"It had a bit of a forum and someone else had the same problem and they had [fixed it] manually," Mario said.
"So we took the cover off and did it manually. After an hour or two of trying it finally worked.”
Alas. it would only go in reverse. So they reversed all the way back to Patterson Lakes from whence they came, setting foot ashore somewhere around midnight.
“If worst came to worst we decided we would just fish the whole night,” Mario told Ross Stevenson on radio 3AW.
A lucky escape, indeed.
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Written byBoatsales Staff
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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