I’ll be looking forever: Dad of missing boy
Son removed lifejacket minutes before waves capsized boat
On a nice day, Newton Ferregel sometimes goes out to sea. There is no reason to but he says it makes him feel closer to his son, Ryder, whose body was never found after he and his mother died in a boating tragedy on the Manukau Harbour in November.
A fishing boat carrying the pair and three others capsized off Clarks Beach on November 6. Gemma Ferregel, 38, died and Ryder, 10, is still missing, presumed dead.
Kevin McQuire, the skipper and Gemma’s partner, survived with his two friends, Lisa and Jay, who swam to shore and raised the alarm.
“I don’t blame anyone but two lives have been lost,” said Newton Ferregel, 44, in his only interview after the tragedy.
Ferregel says it was tough telling his other son, Kazdan, 13, his mother had died and his little brother was lost at sea.
The builder separated from Gemma seven years ago and lives in Waiuku with his partner and her sons, a 14-year-old called Carson, and an 11-year-old who is also called Ryder and, like his lost stepbrother, is a motocross enthusiast.
Ryder’s three brothers are trying to process the enormity of their loss.
“All the kids were all close to Ryder, they are holding up pretty well but they don’t like to talk about it much,” Ferregel said.
“Ryder is the first person they have ever lost. The two Ryders were exactly the same age and went to the same daycare. My Ryder was called Ryder F and the other one is Ryder H.”
He misses everything about his youngest son who was “a loving, cheeky character”. He says his life is empty now.
“He was an outdoorsy kid who was always on the go. He loved his motocross and was good at digger driving. You would never see him on a computer, he was always outside and by my side helping me.”
The grieving father believes the fatal accident could have been prevented if everyone was wearing life jackets and the Coastguard had been notified of the trip.
“It should be mandatory to wear lifejackets and you should always notify a Coastguard or someone . . . so if you’re not home by a certain time people can start looking for you. No one knew they were out there.”
Mark Leevers, duty officer from Coastguard NZ, said there was no requirement for recreational boat operators to advise them of their plans but it was strongly recommended they tell somebody on the shore.
According to Ferregel, the group left about midday to dredge for scallops.
He says police told him the weather wasn’t ideal but they were doing two or three knots and pulling the scallop dredge when their boat was hit by two waves.
The MetService forecast for the Manukau Harbour before the boat flipped was a wind speed of 15 knots in the afternoon. It was cloudy, the sea was slightly choppy, with the wind opposing the tide. No warnings had been issued.
Ferregel says police told him the first wave pushed the boat on its side.
“Everyone fell to one side of the boat and then they were hit again by a second wave. That was when the boat rolled and capsized. Kevin told me the boat turned upside down and he, Gemma and Ryder were sitting on the hull floating on the water for about four to five hours. Lisa and Jay swam to shore to raise an alarm because they were the strongest swimmers.”
He said McQuire told him Ryder was wearing a lifejacket but took it off
15 minutes before the boat capsized. “He asked his mum if he could take it off before it happened because they were coasting along but he should have had it on all the time.”
Ferregel says McQuire apologised to him about the accident but they have had little contact since.
McQuire declined to comment to the Weekend Herald but emphasised there was no requirement to contact the Coastguard.
Last year, provisional figures show
93 people drowned in New Zealand, the worst toll since 2008. As at January 24, 32 people had drowned this summer since December 1, Water Safety NZ said.
There had been 15 drownings so far this year, fewer than at the same point last year when 21 people had drowned.
Investigations are ongoing and Maritime New Zealand has passed the file to the police, who said inquiries are continuing.
They said there would be a coronial inquiry but were unable to provide a timeline for the investigation.
Ferregel thanked Search and Rescue, the Coastguard, the police helicopter, and all the volunteers for their dedication and commitment.
Last November a Givealittle page raised $85,000 to help fund the search for Ryder. When the official search was called off, Ferregel used most of the money to pay for private helicopter searches until Christmas.
In the new year, emotionally drained and exhausted, Ferregel conceded it was time to let go.
“Before Ryder’s birthday on January 6, two months after the accident — he would have been 11 — at that point I decided to call the search off.”
The family had a private ceremony on Ryder’s birthday and played one of his favourite songs, I’m Good (Blue).
“That’s how we have accepted Ryder is never coming back. Life will never be the same without him. On a nice day I will go out to sea sometimes . . . I have no reason to be out in the water but it makes me feel closer to Ryder. I love him and I will never stop looking for him.”