The new, $787,000 ambulance boat under construction at Gold Coast Yachts on St. Croix should be in service in February, Property and Procurement Commissioner Lynn Millin Maduro said Friday.
The ambulance boat was initially supposed to be done in November, but since this was the first boat building project commissioned by the government, Property and Procurement had to iron out some issues.
“We wanted to make sure we had all the checks and balances in place,” Maduro said.
The state-of-the art vessel is intended to aid both medical and maritime emergencies. Though nearly 50 feet in length, its shallow draft of 3 feet, 5 inches means it can go into bays and pick up patients off the beach.
The ambulance vessel is a twin hull design of composite materials, capable of 25-30 knots in a broader range of sea conditions than most comparable boats. It features a 300-square-foot climate-controlled patient compartment, with room for four or more paramedics/EMTs, plus captain and one crew member.
The new boat will hold four to six stretchers compared to two in the old boat.
Roger Hatfield, vice-president at Gold Coast Yachts, said the company started work on the mold for the boat. He said that part should be finished by the end of September. The boat’s construction should be done before February, he said.
“And then we’ll get to drive it around and train the crew,” Hatfield said.
Liston Sprauve, who captains the often-ailing ambulance boat Star of Life 4, is delighted that the new vessel is finally in the works.
“I’m very excited,” he said.
Getting to this point has taken many years. While the efforts to get the new boat unfolded, the Star of Life 4 was out of service many times for repairs. It was first put to use in 1991 after being taken in a seizure.
The Star of Life 4’s outages forced the Health Department to contract with private boat companies to provide ambulance boat service.
“It will save us a lot of money,” St. John Administrator Leona Smith said.
The Health Department is also pleased that work has finally begun.
“We are thrilled with the news because of what this means for St. Johnians and the territory,” Health Department spokesman Eunice Bedminster said.
