STABBED AND THROWN
OVERBOARD
A MAN WAS arrested on November 1, after a two-hour
manhunt in the Marlborough Sounds involving maritime
police from Wellington and the armed offenders squad.
A Nelson man told police he had been visiting Picton
and met a man who invited him on to his yacht where
he was assaulted, attacked with a knife and a wood saw
that had resulted in a deep cut to his hand and cuts on
his body and face, then thrown overboard in the Queen
Charlotte Sound. He swam to the nearest shore and spent
the night in bushes before walking to Lochmara Lodge,
in Lochmara Bay.
Police brought the man back to Picton, the next
morning. As they were leaving the bay, the man spotted
the yacht he had been on tied up at a jetty.
A police maritime unit called in from Wellington
arrived in Queen Charlotte Sound on board the Lady
Elizabeth IV and met up with about five members of the
armed offenders squad, and a dog handler. A man was
arrested and taken into custody.
Professional ��� Pragmatic ��� Proven
Marine Industrial Design is a team you can trust
to deliver a vessel that performs.
��� Marine Design Consultancy ��� re���t,
conversions, class approvals
��� Naval Architecture ��� vessel design, stability
and seakeeping
��� Mechanical design ��� winches, deck equipment
WHEN THE POLICE launch, Coastguard, Westpac Rescue
helicopter and Navy Seasprite answered a Mayday for a
vessel capsized near Waiheke Island in November, they
thought that there were four people on board the 4.9m dingy.
But when they arrived on scene seven people were in the
water, three of whom were rescued by a nearby vessel, two
by Coastguard and the two deceased who were recovered by
the Police launch.
Their small craft, the Manakia, was between Waiheke Island
and Papakohatu Island (Crusoe Rock) in Auckland���s Hauraki
Gulf, when one of the men got seasick and moved in the boat to
vomit, causing it to roll, take on water and then flip over.
Coastguard northern region chief executive David Tommas
said, ���It was blowing at 20 to 30 knots out there and the sea was
running at 1.5m to 2m. We believe the vessel was 4.9m long
which, for seven people, is probably at the limits of its operating
capacity, particularly in this weather.���
The men were all friends and family between the ages of
25 and 50, from Kiribati, Tonga and Rarotonga. The tragedy
coincided with an open day at the rescue chopper���s base where
children witnessed the dead men���s bodies being carried to
shore.
Water Safety New Zealand chief executive Matt Claridge told
the Herald there had been too many preventable deaths. ��� What
really needs to happen [is that] the blokes going out on the water
really need to look after each other and think about the family
they are leaving at home. The water in New Zealand is just too
different to the Pacific Islands and it���s usually the men, they���re
going out, and probably leaving families to fend for themselves
without a father.���
According to Water Safety, eight percent of total drownings
between 2007 and 2011 were Pacific people, with 87 percent of
those being male.
Westpac rescue helicopter chief executive Bob Parkinson said,
���It���s just unbelievable. It���s really quite a challenge how to get
this safety message across.���
www.marinedesign.co.nz | 09 419 8440
VIP.S84
For a pump to suit every possible fluid
handling task, available in a range of voltages.
Contact us for an obligation-free quote or
advice for supply and installation.
VIP.S72
P.S72
S7
Pasifika men drowning
GENERAL MARINE SERVICES LIMITED
Part of the Gianneschi international
support network.
196 Pakenham Street West Westhaven Auckland New Zealand
Phone: + 64 9 309 6317 Facsimile: + 64 9 309 6897
Email: sales@generalmarine.co.nz www.generalmarine.co.nz
January/February 2013 Professional Skipper 45
GMS_NZPS_QPV_giann.indd 1
21/09/2009 7:28:58 p.m.
