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The recent tragic drowning at Lac Bay has again brought to public attention the fact that the Bonaire lifeboat Zeeleeuw has been out of service for several years. It's not due to a mechanical problem, but to human stubbornness. The board of directors of the Citizens Rescue Organization, KNRM, rather than relinquishing control to local people who say they can provide the trained men to run the boat, choose to let it languish on land. The board feels they have the responsibility to safely operate the Zeeleeuw and that currently no one on Bonaire is able or willing to follow the rules they have set.
Last week some Dutch and Bonairean mariners set out to get the Zeeleeuw back into service. It's not yet clear how they will wrest control from the present CITRO board and accomplish their task.
The Zeeleeuw is well suited to the task of a rescue boat. Built in Holland in 1977 by Verhoef to specifications of one of the Dutch sea rescue companies, the Zeeleeuw was the first boat of its type. Until 1994 she was used by the KNRM, the Royal Dutch Rescue Organization, at various stations along the Dutch coast.
The Zeeleeuw is still owned by the Dutch Lifeboat Service but is on loan to CITRO Bonaire for an indefinite period. Her sister ship is in active use by CITRO Curaçao, and reportedly the Zeeleeuw may soon be sent there too.
Her hull and superstructure are aluminum. She is divided into 5 watertight, double skinned compartments. She's powered by a 100 HP Volvo diesel.
Her LOA is 9.7 meters (32 feet); beam is 3.3 meters (11 feet), draft is 2.5 feet. Displacement is 6.5 metric tons. Her average cruising speed is 7.5 knots with an operating range of 130 nautical miles. A well-balanced combination of engine and prop makes the boat ideal for towing, and it is in general a versatile rescue boat.
The Zeeleeuw is equipped with a VHF transceiver, depth finder, radar, direction finder, GPS, heavy towing equipment, special equipment for bringing on board unconscious or dead persons, different types of fire extinguishers, a portable pump for pumping and fire fighting, a set of heavy spotlights and other standard safety gear. The crew normally consists of 3 to 5 persons but is modified for special situations. Usually the minimum crew is a skipper, a helmsman and a deckhand. G.D.
Thanks to Jan van der Werf for the technical data on Zeeleeuw.
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