Coastguard warns boaties to check their gear

Manawatu¯ Coastguard is warning people to service boats garaged during lockdown before hitting the water, following two engine-related incidents.

The coastguard attended two callouts on Monday caused by engine trouble

President Eddie Bambury said sparks from a boat engine forced people to abandon a trip at Foxton Beach and a police boat engine cut out during a night patrol, leaving crew stranded at Waitarere Beach.

He expected callouts to increase as more people got back in their boats, which hadn’t been used or serviced for a couple of months. Now that restrictions had eased, people were ‘‘champing at the bit’’ to get out on their boats.

Bambury said there were 30 to 40 boats on the water last week weekend but it was common for up to 80 vessels to be out on a Saturday or Sunday.

The coastguard was run by volunteers and had a pager system — whoever could get on the water first would do so, but it was challenging to employ social distancing on a 4-metre boat. "Everyone is doing their best,’’ he said. A police spokeswoman said no-one was injured at the Waitarere Beach incident but it was a reminder to check all gear was in good order. ‘‘We know many people are keen to make the most of the move to alert level 2 and a period of relatively calm, warm weather but safety should always be the number one priority.’’

It was important to ensure the boat was regularly serviced, equipped for the conditions, with life jackets and two forms of communication.

‘‘These simple safety measures will help ensure you protect yourself and others, and avoid emergency services being called out needlessly.’’