Honda AquaTrax Begins Patrol, Helps Train Firefighters

For Marine Search And Rescue

 

By Hugh M. Carola

 

There’s a new boat on the Hackensack River – and it’s a fast one. Provided through a generous leasing arrangement from Honda Marine, our brand-new AquaTrax® personal watercraft (PWC) was delivered in May – just in time for boating season. Because of it, Hackensack Riverkeeper is able to patrol shallow water and further upriver than ever before. Plus, with a top speed of nearly 60 mph, the PWC also provides us with a fast response platform to investigate Watershed Watch hotline incident reports while posing as recreational boaters.   “We’ve been using Honda products since 1998 when we launched the Robert H. Boyle,” said Captain Bill Sheehan, executive director, Hackensack Riverkeeper, referring to the 90-hp 4-cycle engine that powers the boat. “They’re quiet, they have low emissions and they’re environmentally-friendly,” he added. Inherently efficient, 4-cycle marine engines consume less fuel than comparable 2-stroke models and meet both the 2004 California and 2006 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions standards.

The Secaucus Fire Department was trained on the use of our Honda AquaTrax personal watercraft should they ever be required to conduct search and rescue operations on the river and in the Meadowlands

 

“The AquaTrax has already become an integral part of our operation,” said Captain Bill. “It serves as an excellent safety boat at Laurel Hill Park and has already retrieved several paddlers as well as larger boats that had broken down and found themselves in need of a lift back to the park.”

 

On July 18, members of the Secaucus Fire Department began training to use our AquaTrax should they ever be required to conduct search and rescue operations on the river and in the Meadowlands. “When the Department asked for our help, we were only too happy to assist the firefighters,” said Captain Bill. “The way I look at it, we’re all on the same team.”

 

Despite their usefulness, personal watercraft suffer from a bad reputation because of how some people operate their craft on lakes and other confined waterways. On the Hackensack, however, people generally stay on the main stem of the river after launching from Laurel Hill Park or the marinas in Secaucus and Carlstadt.

 

Some people go so far as to consider PWCs the marine equivalent of off-road vehicles (ORVs) like dirtbikes and quads. While that opinion may be valid in some cases, here is what the law and Hackensack Riverkeeper have to say about them:

 

The law defines PWCs as boats. That definition gives them and their operators as much right to be on the river as our pontoon boats with the same legal and safety responsibilities. The Hackensack River is a Public Trust resource that is available to everyone.

 

Due to the extensive mudflats and the amount of wildlife in the marshes, it’s best for PWCs to stay out on the river. As long as their operators keep them on the main stem of the river and out of the marshes, we have no problem with PWCs.

 

“It’s been my experience that, for the most part, people operate PWCs safely and in consideration of the environment,” said Captain Bill, who added that those same people are helping Hackensack Riverkeeper’s push to have the lower river approved for swimming—without even knowing it.

 

“Every time they ride, they get wet,” the Captain explained, “and I let the policy-makers know it.”