Stricken yacht rescued by rookie unit

Often it is a combination of several factors working together that necessitates a skipper calling on Coastguard for help.

This was the case for a young Bay of Islands skipper Angela when sailing her newly-purchased H28 yacht Muritai to Auckland with the help of Warkworth crewman Simon (names changed).

Having purchased Muritai on Tuesday, the pair checked the vessel out thoroughly before making the most of some good weather to cruise down to Urquharts Bay, Whangarei Harbour, anchoring overnight before a planned early departure on the final leg to Auckland via Kawau Island.

“I had been keeping a close eye on the weather,” Angela says. “Saturday’s forecast was for 15 knots easterly pushing a 1.5-metre swell later in the day, nothing the yacht or us couldn’t handle. Everything pointed towards a brisk sail at an average of seven knots, anchoring at Kawau by 8.30pm.”

All went smoothly at the start. Heading towards Cape Rodney, Angela noted an increasing swell and wind, but continued to put her faith in her boat. Herreshoff 28s are noted for their seakeeping abilities and have made thousands of bluewater passages globally.

With the seas and wind strengthening, Angela started to look at options, including going back to Urquharts Bay or sheltering at the Hen and Chicken Islands. With seas now three metres plus, and having stuffed the bow several times, Angela knew it was time to reef some sail. Wearing a lifejacket and attaching a Personal Locator Beacon, the skipper went forward to make the sail changes and drop the main when it all started to go wrong. She partially dropped the main, but it got stuck and as a result the boom was damaged at the gooseneck. The main sail backfilled, damaging the rigging and lines further.

“The lines were swept overboard and we were concerned they might foul the propellor.”

Another complicating factor was the unreliable motor, which kept cutting out and overheating. The standard engine in a H28 is rated at 10HP – okay for manoeuvring around marinas and short trips, but not a coastal passage. It was leaking fuel, possibly through the vent, turning the deck into a skating rink.

With the yacht finally turned around to run with the seas, Angela came back from the foredeck to see the terrified look on Simon’s face. Waves were breaking over the boat, so she put a Pan Pan call out over the VHF’s Channel 16, looking for advice.

Meanwhile, Simon called his mother to tell her he loved her.

“We had loosened all the jerry cans in anticipation of ending up in the water,” he recalls. “We both had two life jackets on, and Angela wore the EPIRB around her neck – that was how serious it got for us. You can only imagine the relief when Coastguard pulled up alongside us.”

Rescue vessels from Kawau, Whangarei and Mangawhai were called out. Mangawhai, a newly-minted trial unit, was first on the scene and accepted the task of shepherding Muritai back to Mardsen Cove.

Without Coastguard support, the vessel would have struck land in another 30 minutes or so.

“I can’t say what I would’ve done if they hadn’t been there,” Angela said later.

Kokako’s master Roy Pearson said the decision not to tow Muritai, just shepherd them back to Whangarei Harbour, was made in the interests of safety.

“They were making slow but steady progress towards shelter, so we were there as a guardian, prepared to take a tow if necessary,” Roy says.

Speaking of his crew, he said they did everything right, the many hours of training kicking in. “We used every tool we had at our disposal – the teamwork was great.”

Angela and Simon joined the Mangawhai unit at its training the following Wednesday to thank everyone for their great work, delivering some refreshments in appreciation.

“We can’t thank those guys enough for what they did for us and are doing in the community.”