Behind the Skipper’s Seat: What It Takes to Lead a Coastguard Rescue Vessel

When people see a Coastguard rescue vessel heading out on a tasking, it can be easy to assume there is a paid crew behind the operation. At Coastguard Hibiscus, that could not be further from the truth. Every one of our 40 unit members is a volunteer. We are everyday people who give our time, train hard, and answer the call when our community needs help on the water.

Among those volunteers are our qualified skippers, or masters, who carry the responsibility of leading the vessel, the crew, and the response. At present, Hibiscus is fortunate to have six qualified skippers who can respond to callouts on either of our vessels, whether they are rostered on duty or arrive first during an urgent tasking. Two of these skippers also hold commercial maritime qualifications.

A qualification built for rescue work

Becoming a Coastguard skipper is not a quick process. It would normally take at least five years of continuous service to qualify as a Master/Skipper and gain the Royal New Zealand Coastguard industry-specific masters qualification. This is a specialist pathway designed for Coastguard rescue vessel operations, where the role is about far more than simply driving a boat.

The qualification differs from commercial pathways such as Skipper Restricted Limits and Skipper Coastal/Offshore because it includes additional requirements specific to maritime search and rescue, emergency response, and the management of a volunteer-based crew. Coastguard’s own Certificate of Competency framework supports rescue vessel training and operational qualifications, while commercial skipper training focuses on maritime industry requirements.

Before reaching skipper level, our masters work their way through the full operational pathway: trainee, deckhand, qualified crew, and senior qualified crew. Alongside this, they complete boating education courses and practical training covering areas such as Boatmaster, inboard and outboard engineering, radar, GPS, helming, search techniques, towing, anchoring, risk assessment, and crew resource management.

Leading from the back seat

One of the interesting realities of becoming a skipper is that, after spending years honing boat-handling skills, skippers often spend less time actually on the helm, or doing the ‘work’. On a tasking, the skipper is usually seated further back, maintaining situational awareness, managing the vessel, directing the crew, monitoring risk, and making decisions as the situation unfolds.

If you are alongside a Coastguard rescue vessel during an operation, you may hear the skipper directing the crew rather than doing every task themselves. In many ways, it is similar to the captain of a naval ship: the role is to lead, coordinate, and keep the whole picture in view. That leadership is vital, but it also means practical skills can fade if they are not deliberately maintained.

For that reason, our team takes every opportunity to keep skills current. Revalidation is an important part of that process, ensuring skippers remain ready, capable, and confident when the pager goes off.

Putting skills to the test

Over the weekend, both David and I were required to complete our skipper revalidation. This was especially challenging because our primary rescue vessel, Hibiscus Rescue One, has been off the water for the past nine weeks while repairs are completed. Even so, the assessment needed to cover the full range of knowledge and skills expected of a Coastguard skipper.

Over an intensive two to three hours per person, we were assessed on safety equipment, medical equipment including first aid, oxygen and defibrillator capability, firefighting equipment, vessel systems, fuel and endurance at different speeds, batteries, communications equipment, and mechanical and electrical checks.

The assessment also covered standard operating procedures such as man overboard, abandon ship, and fire onboard, as well as boat handling, anchoring, passage planning using both GPS and charts, working with aircraft, risk assessments, towing techniques, search and rescue techniques, and crew resource management.

The great news for the unit is that both David and I passed, meaning we are revalidated for another five years. It was a demanding process, but also a valuable reminder of why ongoing training matters. When a crew launches, the community is trusting us to bring skill, judgement, and calm leadership to whatever situation we find.

One Coastguard crew

As we were heading back to base at the end of the assessment, we heard a call come through on our internal UHF system. One of our fellow Coastguard rescue vessels had a medical emergency onboard and needed help. Another CRV was able to assist with the urgent medical evacuation, but that left the original vessel outside its operational capability.

With two revalidated skippers and a very experienced assessor onboard — himself a Coastguard skipper, trainer, and commercial skipper — we were able to step in and assist by bringing the CRV and its crew safely back to their home base.

It was a fitting end to the day. The assessment tested our skills, but the tasking that followed reminded us why those skills matter. Across Coastguard, we may belong to different units, wear different unit names, and operate from different bases, but when help is needed we are one crew.

Being there for boaties in their time of need is what Coastguard exists for. Being there for each other, crew to crew and unit to unit, is what makes that possible.