Tough day tough decision

We received an urgent callout at 12.46pm to a vessel in difficulty possibly holed, with one person on board and taking on water - the vessel was on a mooring in Omaha Cove (Leigh Harbour).

We knew this was not going to be an easy tasking, with winds of 50 knots and gusts reaching just over 70 knots and an incoming tide that was already very high due to storm surge. Getting clear of the Sandspit river mouth and crossing Kawau Bay was difficult enough, with large swells and a lot of visible and hidden "floatsam”. In this type of weather we usually try to shoot some video footage for training purposes, however with the sea state there was no opportunity of that as it was taking all your coordination, strength and balance to hold on with both hands (and your previous meal).

(We have shown a video snippet of what being on board was like - see under Reels)

Approaching North Channel there were 6 metre breaking swells and we agreed to push on with caution, knowing that conditions further out past Takatu Point would be much worse and we would be travelling broadside on to the waves.

As we approached Maori Rock the swells ahead were breaking and towering above us, with winds still over 70 knots. The crew of 5 on board, which included our two most experienced masters (skippers) made the call to turn back. From the radio comms we were hearing it was unlikely that we would have reached the target before the person needed to abandon the vessel.

Ultimately as the skipper of the day, I deemed it unsafe to risk the lives of five people to go to a moored vessel with one person on board, especially since the winds were forecast to ease within the next few hours.

We are a volunteer organisation and as skippers we have a responsibility to ensure our crews return safely from every mission. Like the other volunteer response services in our area our volunteers sacrifice a lot of time to be ready to assist and to be on call 24/7. Regular training in all areas of seamanship, search and rescue and medical/first aid are part of the job - just as is risk assessment.

Thanks to crew of Thelma, Rob, Marcus and Tim for braving the conditions.

We are always looking for new crew and helpers in all areas of operation, including fundraising. If you feel you can help, please visit our website for details.

Go on line to volunteers.coastguard.nz/current-vacancies (Search for Kawau/Warkworth)