Six Rescued In Dramatic End To 55-Mile Boat Race

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28472, 30 December 1957, Page 9

Six Rescued In Dramatic End To 55-Mile Boat Race

(New Zeatana Press Association)

PALMERSTON NTH., Dec. 29. Six persons—four competitors in the annual 55-mile Palmerston North to Foxton boat race and two who followed the field in a crash boat—were rescued at Foxton Beach heads on Friday. Two of the competitors, one on the verge of collapse, were dragged from the water .only 100 yards from the turbulent river mouth, and the other four were towed to the shore by a pleasure launch owned by Settlor Detective J. G. Long, of Palmerston North.

The competitors’ boats capsized almost simultaneously a few yards after they had crossed the finishing line in mid-stream. The crash boat went to the assistance of Paul Sharp and Graham Green, of Palmerston North, but the choppy water made it difficult to get close to the youths. One of the youths was picked up after drifting 80 yards downstream. The other, who clung to the kayak for support, was rescued about 15 minutes later. But the kayak fouled the propeller of the crash-boat and the boat threatened to capsize as it lay broadside on to the outgoing tide.

Meanwhile, Owen Raleigh and John Symon, both of Palmerston North, were treading water in midstream after their kayak had sunk. They drifted across a sandbank into one of the main river channels, and were swept about 600 yards downstream.

The crash boat by this time, had drifted close to the surf pounding the entrance to the river mouth and while a line was passed from Mr Long’s launch to the crash boat, holiday-makers ion the sands watched the rescue operations in breathless silence. In another few minutes, both boats would have been pounded by the huge waves on the bar.

Sharp and Green were little the worse for their experience, but both Raleigh and Symon were nearly exhausted when they were brought ashore. After the rescue, Mr Long said he had cruised in the river earlier in the day and even in his' powerful launch he had found navigation difficult. He expressed surprise that the boating club had not finished the event further upstream.