Capsized yachtie among spate of Bay rescues
Police are urging people heading into the sea off Nelson to carefully plan their trips, after having to carry out an ‘‘increasing number’’ of rescues in and around Tasman Bay.
Thirteen people had to be rescued or assisted in the last six days, a police spokesperson said.
A number had been caught out by changeable weather and a lack of planning and experience, according to Sergeant Malcolm York from the police search and rescue squad.
He pointed to a 27-year-old yachtsman who spent more than two hours in the water last Wednesday after setting off on a 13 nautical mile trip from Nelson Harbour to Jacket Island near Motueka in an ‘‘old’’ 12 foot Hobie Cat catamaran. The boat set off at about 5pm and was capsized by a gust of wind about halfway through the journey across Tasman Bay.
‘‘After two hours, one of the hulls of the catamaran had filled with water and the weight of the water allowed the yachtsman to right the small yacht.
‘‘He then attempted to sail the yacht, but due to having one sunken hull the catamaran kept capsizing.’’ The man was spotted by a member of the public on the Port Hills just before dark, York said.
‘‘This man looked into his telescope and he could just make him out in the distance and fading light.’’ Police coordinated search efforts using five search vessels including Coastguard, BP Surf Rescue, Port Nelson harbourmaster and the Tasman District harbourmaster.
The Nelson Marlborough rescue helicopter was also called in, and spotted the man using night vision goggles in the blind channel opposite the airport shortly before midnight.
He was wearing a life jacket, but it was concerning that he had no safety equipment on board, York said.
‘‘If weather and tide conditions had not been so favourable, the outcome could have been tragic. Even for a vessel of that size when undertaking a journey of that length and distance from the shore, the yachtsman should have carried a small handheld marine VHF radio or a cell phone in a waterproof bag, and distress flares or a personal locator beacon.
‘‘With one of these items he could have called for assistance a lot earlier, and made the task of locating and assisting him a lot easier and safer for the volunteers who went to look for him,’’ Sergeant York said.