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The first time Dillon Browne took his boat Minstrel for a sail, after a refit, proved a lot more action-packed than he anticipated.
Dillon, 24, had his 22ft Pied Piper Minstrel moored on the Weiti River, and on Saturday, November 18, the refit complete, was sailing to Milford.
He was almost there, when he spotted the kayak and knew immediately that something was wrong.
“At first I thought it was a buoy,” Dillon says. “But when I went up and took a closer look, I saw that the kayak was upside down, and under it was a mess. The kayak fisher was half under his boat, his head not far from the water, and he was tangled in ropes and other gear. I called out to him, and he raised an arm in response and said ‘help’. He was wearing a lifejacket, but it was clear that he had been in the water for a while, was very weak and couldn’t get back onto his kayak.”
Dillon extended his broom handle to the man, who grabbed it. He was then able to manoeuvre him into Minstrel’s dinghy.
“I tried to get him from there onboard Minstrel but he was a dead weight, wearing heavy wet weather gear and trying to push me away,” he says.
Dillon radioed a nearby vessel, Ratcatcher, and they came in and collected the kayak.
One of their crew helped Dillon lift the man on board Minstrel. By this time the kayaker was in a bad way, throwing up water and breathing with difficulty.
They sailed into Milford dock and an ambulance was called.
“I was pretty exhausted with trying to get him out of the water and on board Minstrel,” Dillon says, “but so glad I was in the right place at the right time to help.”
He says the man remains in hospital.
“I hope he makes a full recovery,” Dillon says.
