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increases effi ciency and reduces fuel consumption. The Pa- trol hull is a fl exible platform that can be re-confi gured for tasks ranging from patrolling with sophisticated electron- ics suites to disposable unmanned target boats. Many maritime organizations around the world now use Personal Water Craft (PWC) for patrolling and rapid re- sponse. PWC have handlebar steering and utilize waterjet propulsion for high performance with stock craft achiev- ing over 60 knots. The driver sits or stands on PWC, they can carry one or two passengers with the option to tow a sled. The coast guard defi nes a personal watercraft as a jet drive boat less than 13 feet in length. Characteristics include small footprint, light weight and inversion pro- tection. In recent years the PWC acronym has evolved to defi ne a new breed of applications. Rescue Water Craft (RWC) are used in Hawaii and Australia by lifeguards in high surf conditions. PWC have gained a solid reputation in the maritime community for specialist roles that other craft simply can- not undertake due to design functions. These craft can be fi tted with specialist navigation, mapping and rescue equipment for roles ranging from low speed environmen- tal survey to high speed patrol. Mark Pullinger, Manag- ing Director of UK company Specialist Small Craft, said, ‘PWC can be used as patrol craft to cover roles ranging from managing busy waterways and large public events, SPECIALTY WORKBOATS UK RNLI Rescue Water Craft in surf Credit Specialis t Small Craf t Riverine Operations Helm (Credit ReconCraft) October 2014 38 MN MN Oct14 Layout 32-49.indd 38 9/18/2014 3:42:53 PM
