Narrabeen

The ' Narrabeen', which had been condemned for scrapping in New South Wales, has returned to service after being saved and undergoing a major life-enhancing refurbishment. The ferry, described as one of the icons of Sydney Harbour, re-entered service on the F1 Circular Quay – Manly route, as the outcome of a campaign to save the vessel from scrapping. The Freshwater-class ferry had been removed from service and earmarked for scrapping in 2021 together with her sister ship, the 'Queenscliff', owing to age and significant resources that were required to keep them operational. Two other ships, the 'Freshwater' and the 'Collaroy' were to remain in service, while the government went ahead to invest in the Emerald-class ferries to replace the aging vessels. The current NSW government resolved that sending the vessels to dismantling yards and replacing them with the Emerald Class ships, whose botched introduction included steering failures, cracked fuel tanks, and inability to cross the Heads in large swells, was an irrational decision. For that reason, a decision was made to keep thr 'Narrabeen', 'Queenscliff' and 'Freshwater' in service with resources being committed for their life-enhancing upgrades. Part of the decision to keep the ferries in service was influenced by grassroots community campaigners who fought hard to save the vessels. Due to her mechanical differences from her sisters, it was decided that the 'Collaroy' would be retired. The 'Narrabeen' has re-entered service after it spent US$46 million in an elaborate restoration and refurbishment that gave her a new lease of life to operate for another five years before its next major docking. The works were carried out by a team of shipbuilders, engineers, electricians, plumbers, and painters and included a full engine rebuild, installation of modern control systems, hull repairs, refreshed passenger areas, and CCTV upgrades. The return of the 'Narrabeen' to service enabled the 'Freshwater' to enter dry dock for her own repairs and upgrade to enable her to remain in service until at least 2030.

On Dec 16, at 2.40 p.m. the "Narrabeen", enroute from from Circular Quay to Manly, was in collision with the sailing yacht "Bennie And The Jets" in the port of Sydney near Fort Denison, throwing two people, among them the skipper, from the yacht into the water. They were not wearing life vests, but were able to climb back onto the yacht after the incident. One of them suffered a chest laceration, the second was treated for a leg injury and a third was experiencing chest pain. The skipper also suffered bruising to his head and leg but remained with the yacht after it was towed to nearby Rushcutters Bay. Paramedics were called to Rushcutter's Bay to treat the injured, which included a two-year-old child with chest pain. Seven passengers on the yacht were taken to the St. Vincent's Hospital by ambulance, including two with minor injuries and a 76-year-old man suffering chest pains. The force of the collision snapped the yacht’s mast and damaged the port side of the stern. The ferry proceeded to Manly where she berthed at Wharf III and had was taken out of service with scratches at the bow. Both the master of the yacht and the ferry were breath tested with a negative result. The yacht was carrying 12 adults and two children at the time but was licensed to hold up to 17. Reports with photos and video: http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/news/manly-ferry-crashes-into-yacht-in-sydney-harbour/news-story/f6201503b29a4e65a7a2787f72a26fdd https://thewest.com.au/news/australia/manly-ferry-collides-with-yacht-in-sydney-harbour-ng-fb7ec59c93a418582c8c936ea86648ae https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2017/12/16/ferry-crash-yacht-sydney-harbour/ https://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/12/16/15/57/ferry-collides-with-yacht-in-sydney-harbour https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/manly-ferry-collides-with-yacht-in-sydney-harbour/news-story/fb7ec59c93a418582c8c936ea86648ae https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DRJON3FUMAADQgV.jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DRJON11VwAEEWJI.jpg

Passengers on Nov 14, 2010, were left stranded less than 200 metres from Manly Wharf, Sydney, and docked almost an hour late in the morning, after the "Narrabeen" on its 7.40 a.m. trip from Circular Quay, was forced to drop anchor after experiencing clutch problems preparing to dock at the wharf. The ferry, carrying about 50 passengers, then had to move back out to the Heads, and commuters were forced to wait around 45 minutes while an onboard engineer worked to fix the problem. It finally docked around 9 a.m. and the 8.20 a.m. Manly to Circular Quay ferry was cancelled because of the disruption. Sydney Ferries is offering commuters affected by the delay free travel on Nov 15.