Last week's awards to members of the Batemans Bay, Bermagui and Narooma Marine Rescue Crews are well deserved.
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That terrible night back in 2017 could have been so much worse if crews had not set off from Batemans Bay and Bermagui to help the stricken Muller family.
As the account of Ray Muller shows, the trio was in deep trouble - and had been for hours.
Striking a submerged object could happen to any vessel - and that the family managed to hang on as long as they did is testament to Mr Muller and his son's determination and skill and to the efforts the various Marine Rescue radio operators made to coach them.
To be so close to the rocks, without steering, would have been terrible enough in daylight, let alone when night fell.
Batemans Bay and Bermagui crews, in the words of Mr Muller, "punched through" to reach his family.
The Batemans Bay crew, struggling terribly after their evening on rough water, still managed to get a tow line onto the yacht - but it was decided the Bermagui crew should take over. They did a great job.
It was an honour for this masthead to attend the award ceremony last week in Batemans Bay.
Bermagui and Narooma crews made the trip - and the mood in the room was quietly and justifiably proud.
Most of the people in the room are volunteers.
We would have so many more lives lost at sea without them.
Things we can do to help them are log our trips - each and every one - and wear life jackets.
We received a snarky message on one of our stories this week, after surf lifesavers appealed for everyone to wear life jackets - and we quoted them saying so. That reader is not a fan of life jackets.
So long as the people who get out on the water when our plans go awry want us to wear life jackets, this masthead will be backing them in that call.
We know of too many cases where families have lost loved ones who went on the water without that basic protection and did not return.