WAIOTAHI AGROUND

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 94, 14 February 1947, Page 4

WAIOTAHI AGROUND

CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS INCIDENT AT OPOTIKI It is quite a number of years since a vessel has had a mishap entering the Opotiki harbour. On- Sunday morning however the m.v. Waiotahi had the misfortune to run aground on the western spit at the entrance of the harbourr The pilot, Mr F. Mokomoko, had his well-known launch the Aio on the slip and had to engage Mr Noel Gwilliam’s launch to help him out. The channel just now is rather twisted and narrow and takes a lot of manoeuvring, more especially if there is a sea running. The pilot was in doubt as to whether the vessel should attempt to enter the harbour or turn back to Ohiwa but talking the matter over with the captain and the local agent decided to make the attempt to enter the river. The Waiotahi crossed the bar but in negotiating the turn into the narrows a fairly heavy sea caught her and she fouled the western spit. A line Was put out to the launch and when an endeavour was made to pull the bow round the propeller of the launch became entangled with seaweed and was put out of action. Mr Russell Stott’s launch was then requisitioned, but when endeavouring to take a line aboard, she had the misfortune to be caught by a wave and tossed up on the beach.

Mr Mokomoko then decided to launch his boat off the slip and get her ready for the evening tide, as by this time it - was too late to do anything for the stranded vessel, as the tide was going out, and at low water was left practically high and dry. In launching the loa, a dog was lying under the cradle out of the hot sunshine, and was not noticed in time with the result that it lost its life as the launch ran.down the slip-way. During the course of the afternoon the launch was put in order, and with the Waiotahi’s crew and local helpers, everything was got ready to endeavour to refloat the vessel at high tide in the evening. A “dead man” was sunk in the eastern side of the harbour, and with a kedge anchor out connected with a two-inch steel cable, everything was in readiness for high tide at 9.30 p.m.

In the evening the launch loa had the misfortune to foul the kedge anchor line and tear away part of her bulwark.

Just before 9 p.m., the Waiotahi’s winches came into action and took the strain to pull the nose round, but the surge of the sea parted the steel cable. The engines were then started in reverse, and the vessel slowly edged her way - into deep water and safely negotiated the channel to berth at the v/harf at 9.30 p.m.

The Waiotahi, with the exception of cracking a cylinder head caused by intaking sand, is little the worse for her mishap. Mr Stott’s launch was well flooded and her engine will have to be overhauled, otherwise, with the exception of the canine of unknown breed, everything ended without accident.—Opotiki News.