The state squadron revealed last week Warrnambool’s boat would be transferred to Queenscliff, probably this weekend, because the vessel there is out of action.

It believes the Warrnambool boat is an ideal replacement, meeting the size and capability requirements to service a busy shipping route close to Port Phillip Bay.

In isolation, it’s easy to see how the decision was reached.

But the decision has angered Warrnambool volunteers, who have worked tirelessly for more than eight years to fund, maintain and man the vessel based in Lady Bay.

As we revealed, the volunteers have raised $110,000 to pay almost its $120,000 share of the purchase price. Philanthropic trusts based in the region and community-minded south-west residents have made significant contributions.

Head office clearly underestimated the depth of emotional attachment among the Warrnambool flotilla’s members and the broader community’s investment.

At the end of a summer where four lives have been lost in the waters off our coast, the timing could not have been worse.

Warrnambool will receive another boat but it’s likely to be smaller and less suited to our rough seas. It seems an odd decision because back in 2008 when the Warrnambool boat sailed into Lady Bay, it was described as being appropriate for our coast.

Volunteers have every right to be upset. They see a smaller boat as a downgrading of their service.

Port Phillip Bay is serviced by 19 Coast Guard boats but the Shipwreck Coast, which stretches from the South Australian border to Cape Otway has just two – Warrnambool and Portland.

The view Portland’s coast guard can cover the Warrnambool boat’s absence is laughable if there is an incident east of Warrnambool. Time is critical in any rescue or retrieval. In good conditions, the trip from Portland to Warrnambool is about two hours.

The national decision is akin to a knife through the heart of the local flotilla.

Simply, it believes it owns the boat on behalf of a parochial community.

But the state body says it owns the boat. If possession is nine-tenths of the law, Warrnambool’s boat should be staying anchored at the breakwater.