Reluctant rescuees are safe and well

Two fishermen whose boat founded near Cape Maria van Diemen on Monday afternoon refused help from would- be rescuers, sticking with the six-metre boat until they were washed off and forced to swim ashore.

The pair, from Kaitaia and Whangarei, had raised the alarm at about 1.45pm when the motor failed and the anchor didn’t hold in two-metre swells and blustery conditions. The motor wouldn’t start, and the boat was reportedly being pushed towards rocks.

Northland police Search and Rescue co- ordinator Senior Sergeant Cliff Metcalfe said the boat was between Scott Point and Twilight Beach when the fishermen, who had launched at Te Paki Stream, on 90 Mile Beach, earlier in the day used their marine radio to advise officials of their plight. Police were contacted by the Maritime Operations centre in Wellington, which was in contact with them.

The men were told that they could be winched off the boat by helicopter, but had made it clear that they would not be leaving the vessel.

The Marine Operations Centre lost communications with the boaties about 2.45pm; a Northland Electricity rescue helicopter was dispatched from Whangarei an hour later. By the time it arrived only the bow of the boat was above water.

“They had been trying to get the motor started when the boat was hit by a big swell and flipped. They managed to swim ashore and climb a cliff at Te Waiawa Bay,” Senior Sergeant Metcalfe said, adding that they were “very, very lucky to be alive.” Police were still trying to locate the men yesterday.

The helicopter had landed nearby, however, the crew speaking to the pair, who had been none the worse for their ordeal.