<Bz35>It took four years ... but here she is
When Bermuda’s new search and rescue vessel motored into Hamilton Harbour the Police brass onshore had been waiting a long time.
It took four years from the time Sgt. Keith Senior began the process of securing a new boat for the Marine Unit until the time the MV Guardian <$>arrived at her new home.
And it wasn’t long before she was called into action.
On November 1, after the Guardian was here about a week, crew boarded and rushed out 28 nautical miles for a mayday call — three people on a sailboat which had lost its mast.
“We were actually working on duty at the time,” said Sgt. Senior. “It seemed like the ideal way to get the boat into a working environment. So we went out, towed it in, and brought it to St. George’s for repair.”
A month later, at her official unveiling yesterday, the Guardian still glimmered like a new car on the showroom floor. She is 54-feet long, fully aluminium, and can travel 200 nautical miles out to sea.
Her cost was budgeted at $1.7m, but according to Sgt. Senior, the final price came in under that.
“It was an awesome sight.” said Deputy Commissioner Roseanda Young when she saw the Guardian for the first time.
She says the vessel not only replaces an old search and rescue boat, but provides better capabilities. “The GPS system, the depth sounders, once you see all of this technology you will see that, wow, it is the envy on the water right now.”
A high school student won a contest to name the Guardian. <$>Freya Lawrence, 15, from the Bermuda High School “was a little surprised” her name beat out the 97 others. She got a new I-Pod for her efforts. Soon her entire class will be invited for a ride.
Ideally, the Guardian needs a crew of four — a Skipper, navigator, engineer, and someone to work the charts. Currently, Sgt. Senior has 14 in his unit, and hopes he can eventually increase that number to 20.
Nonetheless he says at present, “it can work with what we have.”
In his capacity as leader of the Police Service, Governor Sir John Vereker toured the vessel and commented: “Maintaining law and order on the sea is just as important as law and order on the land. This vessel is taking maintenance of law and order to a new level.”
