Day out fishing ends in tragedy
Five dead, three missing as weather turns rough on Kaipara.
Five people are dead and three others are missing after a fishing charter trip turned to tragedy on the Kaipara Harbour.
Three others on board the fishing charter Francie were rescued and taken to North Shore Hospital.
Police confirmed the death toll last night after launching a search and rescue operation.
Inspector Duncan Hall said the five bodies were recovered from outside Kaipara Harbour.
The three survivors had been rescued by the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter, whose crew winched then to safety from the water.
Two rescue helicopters were at the scene promptly, Hall said, allowing them to “pluck [the rescued] from the water”.
Hall said the operation was launched after the vessel was reported missing at 3.30pm. Eleven people were on board.
He said the shoreline search around South Head and Te Oneone Rangatira Beach would continue for a few more hours.
The air search had stopped because of a significant sea swell and poor visibility, which could put aircraft and their crews at risk. It was scheduled to start again this morning from 7am, weather permitting.
Hall said inquiries were being made into what caused the maritime tragedy and how those on board ended up in the water.
Police had been told there were life jackets on board, but did not yet know if they were being worn.
The Francie — which is owned and skippered by local man Bill McNatty — was reported missing near the harbour’s treacherous bar crossing.
The tragedy last night rocked the tight-knit community around the
It’s a bit sad to hear what’s happened. Just [feeling] for the families. A charter owner
Kaipara Harbour, including other fishing charters. The owner of one charter, who did not want to be identified, said he knew the Francie’s skipper and was just waiting to see
whether or not he was one of those who had died.
“It’s one of our friends so we don’t want to give out too much information,” he said.
“It’s a bit sad to miss one of our fellow skippers — well, we don’t know yet. But it’s a bit sad to hear what’s happened. Just [feeling] for the families.”
The man said he happened to be out with a group, but had fished inside the harbour as the group did not want to go out further.
“You have just got to be careful out there when you’re going out to sea — not take too many risks.”
He said conditions could be very rough and those heading out had to be really experienced and keep an eye on the weather.
The former skipper of the Francie, Rod Bridge, last night described it as an “excellent little boat”, but said it should not have been attempting to cross the bar yesterday.
“It shouldn’t have been out there. It was too rough . . . it’s a terrible thing.” He also runs a charter business but said he had disappointed his customers by calling off today’s outing because of the conditions. “I stayed home . . . the wind was coming up and the swell was coming up. You wouldn’t go out over the bar.” One customer had called him after hearing of the tragedy involving the Francie. “He said, ‘ Thanks for making the right decision’.”
Bridge owned the Francie, which is made of steel, for two or three years. He bought it about four or five years ago, when it was about eight years old.
“It was a flaming good little boat. That’s why I bought it.”
The Francie is a 12m charter that can carry a maximum 20 passengers and two crew.
An online booking service for the Francie states: “Enjoy a day’s fishing for any of the predominant Kaipara fish species — kahawai, snapper and gurnard and in season trevally, maomao and kingfish”.
Daily boat hire costs from $700 to $800.
In 2012 the boat was involved in the rescue of a ketch cast adrift after its sails blew out and it had engine problems.
A story in the Kaipara Lifestyler quoted Bridge as saying: “Another half an hour and that would have been it — they would have foundered in heavy seas on the bar.”
MetService said the mean wind speed in the area, recorded at 5pm, was 28km/h gusting 50km/h.
Meteorologist Tom Adams said that at 6pm, that had changed to 31km/h and gusting 48km/h.
The air temperature in the area was 18C to 19C and there were a few light showers.
I stayed home . . . the wind was coming up and the swell was coming up. Rod Bridge