Teary skipper relives fiery drama
A SHAKEN and emotional skipper has relived the frightening drama in which his family escaped an inferno that ultimately destroyed their pride and joy.
Bluewater resident Paul Poulter credited a quick-thinking boatie for averting a maritime disaster during a fun family day out on the water on Saturday.
Mr Poulter said on their way home from Fitzroy Island he knew there was something “majorly wrong” when he heard a bang and there was black smoke everywhere on his 44ft Caribbean game fish boat, called Think Big.
A CAIRNS skipper has credited a quick-thinking boatie for averting a maritime disaster following the heartbreaking loss of his family’s pride and joy in a mystery boat fire at the weekend.
Out celebrating his son’s birthday, Bluewater resident Paul Poulter took his 44ft Caribbean game fishing boat, called Think Big, to Fitzroy Island for a fun family day out on Saturday, with no clue the day would end in despair.
“We left in the morning and had a beautiful ride over and we were coming home and got within 200m of the lead markers at Yorkeys Knob,” he said.
“I took the boat off autopilot to turn into the lead and there was a big sound and then there was a bang and black smoke everywhere.
“And when this happened the boat automatically lost power.
“Obviously I knew there was something majorly wrong, I went down from the fly bridge and got everyone else off the fly bridge and turned the diesel off.”
At that point a boat following skippered by retired firefighter John Clode pulled alongside and all the passengers got off the stricken Caribbean.
Owning the vessel for 15-years Mr Poulter was determined to save the boat’s log that chronicled a lifetime of adventure and game fishing titles along the Queensland east coast. He stepped up to save the boat and fight the fire.
“I went inside (the cabin) that was filling with smoke and got the fire extinguisher and went to lift the engine room floor,” he said.
“I lifted it a centimetre and there were flames coming out of the engine room.
“I tried to activate the fire flaps to shut off air to the engine room.
“Then I discharged a 5kg fire extinguisher but it was too far gone and there was nothing I could do.”
“A Border Force vessel saw the fire and deployed one of their fast response vessels and they checked me out because I breathed in a lot of black smoke.” Holding back tears Mr Poulter struggled to come to terms with the loss but the boat was insured.
“That boat is our family pride and joy, it was everything to us,’ he said. We have had that boat 15 years, we got married on that boat.
“We bought our kids up on that boat and fished and played together as a family on that boat.
“Every adventure was logged and they were on the boat, but are now lost.
“The kids took fishing records, all taken on that boat.” However, grappling with the loss the anaesthetic technician was grateful no one was injured and for the help of Mr Clode.
“Because that creek is croc infested,” he said.
“We were so lucky that guy was behind us, we could have deployed the life raft.
“But that guy was there at the right time, we saw what happened we saw the smoke and he was straight there.”
Investigations into the fire are ongoing.