Shovel as paddle, no anchor in boat tragedy

TWO Tasmanian men who drowned in a boating accident didn’t have the required safety equipment and were using a shovel as a makeshift paddle, a coroner’s report has found.

The bodies of John Harrison, 41, and Danny Viney, 35, were found washed up on shore at Waterhouse Point in the state’s North-East on December 28, 2015, after they set out on a fishing trip the previous day.

In his report released yesterday, Coroner Duncan Fairley found it was likely only one of the two was wearing a life jacket and the dinghy wasn’t carrying flares or an anchor.

“The oar stored in the boat did not have a metal collar attached and as such could only be used as a poor quality paddle,” Mr Fairley said, adding the boat would have been close to its 190kg capacity.

“The shovel in the boat was intended to be used as a makeshift paddle. There was no anchor, chain and rope to deploy to ensure the craft faced into the wind and waves.”

It was likely the dinghy got swamped by water but it was impossible to determine exactly how the pair got into trouble, Mr Fairley said.

At the time, Tasmania Police Inspector Darren Hopkins said the men set off about 3pm on Sunday and made a short radio call about 5pm to say that they were OK.

Insp Hopkins said weather conditions had been favourable, and it was unclear how the 3.5m aluminium dingy with a small outboard motor had capsized.

Insp Hopkins said the two men had been in a large group of campers at the Waterhouse Point camping ground, who included the older man’s pregnant partner.

Robbie and Debbie Fewkes, of Hobart, and Stacey Sproule, of Campbell Town — part of a separate group which had been camping nearby — recalled at the time that the tranquillity had been shattered in the early hours when they heard urgent screaming “help, please help, I’ve found a body”.

Insp Hopkins said the body of the 35-year-old, which had been washed up on the beach near the camp sites, had been found by a cousin of the deceased.

An autopsy found Mr Harrison had alcohol and marijuana in his system. Neither Mr Harrison nor Mr Viney held a boat licence.

AAP and staff writers