Yachtie saved by near-dark lucky spot
In fading light, a man looked through his telescope into the sea off the coast of Nelson and spotted a sinking catamaran.
The yachtsman on board was pulled from the water in darkness by a rescue helicopter last Wednesday.
He had spent at least two hours in the sea.
The rescue has prompted police to urge those heading into the sea to carefully plan their trips.
Thirteen people had to be rescued or assisted in Tasman Bay the last six days, a police spokesperson said.
An ‘‘increasing 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.
York said the 27-year-old yachtsman had set off on a 13 nautical mile trip from Nelson Harbour to Jackett Island near Motueka in an ‘‘old’’ 12-foot Hobie Cat catamaran.
The boat set off 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 co-ordinated search efforts using five search vessels including the Coastguard, BP Surf Rescue, Nelson Port Harbourmaster and the Tasman District Harbourmaster.
The Nelson-Marlborough rescue helicopter was also called in. The crew used night vision goggles and spotted the man in the blind channel opposite the airport shortly before midnight.
He was wearing a lifejacket, 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 cellphone 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.’’
Police and the Coastguard encouraged all people entering the water on any size craft to take at least two forms of communication equipment and know the environment they are heading into.