Safe Sea Orders New Rescue Boat

New Boat to be a Sistership to the M/V Safe/Sea Salvor

by Captain Pete Andrews
Safe/Sea Senior Staff Captain

In our continuing effort to offer Rhode Island boaters the highest degree of assistance service available, Safe/Sea is once again upgrading our fleet of rescue vessels. This new vessel will be a sistership of the M/V Safe/Sea Salvor, which was showcased at the 2003 Providence Boat Show. Over her three seasons in service, the Safe/Sea Salvor has proven an extremely effective salvage and towing vessel which excels in providing assistance services in a wide range of situations.

Safe/Sea has chosen Almar Boats, of Tacoma, Washington to build this new thirty three foot long by twelve foot wide rigid hull inflatable. This latest vessel will be the seventh that Almar has built for Safe/Sea. It will boast a twenty-eight inch diameter inflation tube, as well as a custom built fully enclosed pilot house to protect the captain.

The electronics suite, supplied by Pawtuxet Marine Electronics of Cranston, RI, includes a 48 nautical mile Furuno radar, a Northstar 957 color DGPS chartplotter, twin VHF radios, a Motorola private band two-way radio, a Horizon Loudhailer, a Ritchie digital compass, and dual ACR remote controlled spotlights. Also included will be Algae-X fuel filters, and an Oil X-Changer oil recovery system.

The vessel will be powered by two Yanmar LYA-UTE 315hp after cooled, turbo charged diesel engines, coupled to Hamilton model 274 jet drives through Borg-Warner 1:1 Velvet Drive transmissions. This package will not only allow the vessel to reach a distressed boater at over thirty knots, but the Hamilton jets also provide unparalleled control when maneuvering, including the ability to move the vessel directly sideways, as well as turn the vessel within its own length.

Safe/Sea chose the rigid hull inflatable design for the seventh consecutive time because it gives customers the peace of mind of not having to worry about any external damage to their boats while being towed alongside. It also allows Safe/Sea to provide close-quarters salvage assistance in less than ideal sea conditions without the risk of hull damage. 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.

"Everyone at Safe/Sea is excited about this new build", says Captain Phil LeBlanc of Safe/Sea. "This new vessel represents a major upgrade to an already impressive fleet, and our customers will notice that our response times will be even shorter".

With delivery expected in the Spring of 2004, Capt. John Andrews, owner and President of Safe/Sea, is planning to have this latest vessel shipped to Alaska for extended sea trials before entering her into service in Narragansett Bay early in the summer of 2004.