The St. John ambulance boat, the Liston “Huntie” Sprauve,” will be dry docked in Subbase, St. Thomas, through Wednesday for routine maintenance work, the Health Department said in a press release issued Monday. The marine ambulance should be back into service by Thursday afternoon unless it turns out that it needs more servicing.
Routine maintenance involves pressure washing the boat and checking for potential structural repairs below the water line. Health Department spokesman Eunice Bedminster said the department is spending $9,000 for the job.
Meanwhile the Ocean Dreams is providing back-up boat service with Emergency Medical Services staff augmenting the crew. Bedminster was not able to provide details about the Ocean Dreams boat.
Health Commissioner Darice Plaskett said the ambulance boat will be dry-docked again in May for its annual maintenance check by Gold Coast Yachts, the company that built the 55-foot catamaran.
As in the past, this will entail the boat sailing from St. John to St. Croix, where the company is based. Bedminster said the job should take about three days including the trips between the islands.
Bedminster said the Gold Coast servicing is “still under warranty.”
