Boaters venturing out past the Tollgate Islands can expect to be stranded for about three hours if they run into trouble over the next few weeks.

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For the first time in 25 years, the Batemans Bay Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol will be unable to help anyone in distress beyond the Tollgate Islands.

The Batemans Bay patrol is down to one vessel after its category two vessel, the Noosa Cat, broke down on Saturday. The patrol’s category three vessel has been sold and is yet to be replaced.

Patrol divisional commander Rob Bowmaker said he was very concerned about issues with hypothermia, sharks and exposure to the elements if people in distress had to jump overboard.

“It’s still quite cold out there,” he said. “You could get hypothermia quite quickly.”

Mr Bowmaker said the water temperature had been about 17 degrees for the past few days, which would not bode well for anyone left in the water waiting up to three hours for help. Dehydration was another concern as gulping seawater made people dehydrate.

The patrol is relying heavily on the Ulladulla and Narooma branches to help rescue hapless boaters.

Mr Bowmaker said it took Ulladulla about three hours to reach Batemans Bay and Narooma two hours.

He said most people fishing in the area stuck close to the coastline and the Clyde River.

“Some will push their luck out to the (Continental) Shelf, which is 15km out,” Mr Bowmaker said.

He said it would take Batemans Bay about one hour to reach vessels in distress as far out as the shelf, if they had a category three vessel.

It is thought the Noosa Cat could need a new fuel pump, which would take about one week to replace however, if it’s a new engine management system, the wait could be much longer.

“I’m not sure if one is available in Australia,” Mr Bowmaker said.