Climb aboard & SUPPORT our community friends ABOVE & BELOW the water
Our Community
Mission to Seafarers Victoria
The Victorian chapter of what is now known as the worldwide Mission to Seafarers was established in 1857 and re-located to the historic building it now occupies in Flinders Street, Melbourne in 1917.
MtSV’s principal purpose is to provide comfort and welfare for seafarers from ships visiting Melbourne from all over the world. But the Mission in Melbourne also houses and curates a Heritage Collection of some 10,000 items and objects, which are rated as of State and National significance.
Port Phillip Sea Pilots supports MtSV through sponsorship in cash and kind.
Queenscliff Maritime Museum
The Queenscliff Maritime Museum was founded in 1986 to preserve and display the last lifeboat, Queenscliffe, which served for 50 years before retirement in 1976. The Museum has evolved as a repository of local and Victorian maritime history and artefacts. QMM also manages tours of the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse.
In March 2020 Port Phillip Sea Pilots donated the pilot launch Mavis III, a 26-year veteran of service at The Rip at Port Phillip, to QMM and it is now the centrepiece of the Museum’s pilotage section.
Cottage by the Sea
For 130 years Cottage by the Sea at Queenscliff has provided disadvantaged children from all over Victoria with inspiration, fun and opportunity within a holiday environment, funded entirely by generous donations. The Cottage is located a stone’s throw from the beach and not far from the PPSP Pilot Station.
Port Phillip Sea Pilots is a long-time supporter of CbtS through various methods, one of the most popular of which is the donation of trips on pilot launches, which are raffled to great fundraising success.* The Service has recently also donated 15 laptops to the Cottage for use by participants in its children’s camps.
Victorian Regional Channels Authority Ports Users Community Safety Campaign
Safety is a priority, for both commercial vessels and for recreational users of the ports of Geelong and Hastings. VRCA’s Keep Clear of Big Ships campaign is raising awareness of how small boats and big ships can safely share the water.
Port Phillip Sea Pilots wholly endorses the Authority’s work to make recreational boat owners, including sailors, kayakers, canoeists, rowers, wakeboarders, water-skiers and kite surfers, fully aware of their responsibilities.
Point Lonsdale Boardriders Club
Point Lonsdale Boardriders Club was established 1964 by a group of surfers with a passion for riding magnificent waves. Over the years the club has evolved and today it’s clubhouse sits beneath the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse in what was once the Engine Shed. With over 200 members the Boardriders Club endeavours to foster a sense of community and enjoying the beach together amongst those who have a yearning to be by the sea and a love of surfing.
It holds aggregate contests for all age groups from Masters to Under 11’s, full days on the beach watching the waves, competitors trying their hardest with having fun and a lot of laughs being the most important aspect.
Victorian Ports Corporation Melbourne
VPC Melbourne provides clear advice about safe interaction between recreational boating and commercial shipping on Port Phillip Bay. The website provides clear and helpful information about shipping movements, boating on the bay, waves, wind and weather, aquatic events advice, transit only zones, and safety videos Steer Clear and Don’t Rock the Boat.
Port Phillip Sea Pilots donates pilot launch trips for fundraising by many local bodies such as schools, historical bodies, sporting clubs, service clubs, community events and specific charitable causes and appeals such as bushfire relief, cystic fibrosis and cancer treatment.
Our Environment
The very nature of Port Phillip Sea Pilots’ work is closely aligned with safety in our state’s coastal waters, bays, channels and harbours, and the health of our natural marine environment.
Details of our safety systems and operational accreditation to global standards can be found on our Expertise page, as well as our commitment to sustainability.
Port Phillip Sea Pilots constantly and vigilantly monitor our waters. We watch out for on-water accidents, drifting craft, distressed vessels, infrastructure damage, threatening weather, and vulnerable marine creatures. We’re alert to all kinds of pollution in our waterways, including oil, chemical and other spills, flood debris, floating obstacles and accumulating rubbish.
We work hand-in-hand with all relevant authorities to contribute our experience and expertise in every relevant situation.
Marine Parks
Victorian ports all have various marine parks and abundant sea-life and wildlife which need to be protected from potential incidents involving pollution. In particular, the following areas of PPSP operations are renowned for these creatures:
Port Phillip Bay – Brown Fur Seals / Bottlenose Dolphins
Western Port – Little Penguins
Corner Inlet – Leafy Seahorses
Portland – Southern Right Whales
Links
Environmental Protection Authority Victoria