WRECK OF NORDIC AT LEIGH

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29853, 20 June 1962, Page 14

WRECK OF NORDIC AT LEIGH

Coroner Praises Bravery Of Rescuers (N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, June 19. The Auckland Coroner (Mr K. A. Snedden) today commended the bravery of Leigh residents who went to the assistance of the yacht Nordic, with two children on board, which ran aground in rough seas outside the entrance to Leigh harbour in April.

Mr Snedden was conducting an inquest on one of the children in the yacht, Annette Edith Lloyd, aged 4. He found that she died from accidentally inhaling carbon monoxide from the boat’s engine while she and her brother were alone in the cabin.

Ronald Thomas Boldsworth Lloyd, of 48 Liggins street, Shirley, Christchurch, father of the dead girl, said in evidence given at Warkworth, that on April 22 he and his wife and two children left Auckland in the yacht on the start of a cruise to take in Suva, New Caledonia. Brisbane and Sydney.

They stayed at Kawau Island until Wednesday, April 25, when after a favourable weather report they left with the intention of travelling north of east in a direct -line with Suva.

“On getting into the open sea I found the winds and seas were stronger than I had been led to believe. Not having sufficient sea room at that stage I thought it prudent to return to the gulf for shelter,” said Lloyd. Lloyd said that when travelling south along the east coast from the Hen and Chicken Islands, extremely high seas were encountered. The wind was blowing the top of the seas necessitating the closing of the hatches—“although I did leave them open four inches at the top. Started Engine

“My two children were left in the cabin and my wife and I remained in the cockpit. When I encountered the rough seas I started up the engine and was using that in order to speed our progress to Kawau and shelter.” he said. “About 15 minutes after closing the hatch I went into the cabin to get a chart. I immediately noticed my two children were drowsy and-my son was frothing at the mouth.

“I suspected poison from the engine fumes so I immediately called on the radio, telephone for assistance." Lloyd said that following instructions received on the radio he brought the children out from the cockpit, wrapped them in blankets, and applied mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. His son appeared to respond, but the girl did not. “At this stage I was off Leigh and was told that assistance would be sent there. I brought down all sail and headed for Leigh with the engines going.

“As I thought I Was heading for Leigh I misunderstood some lights on the shore which, I thought, were signalling lights. The yacht was running close to the rocks so I threw out the anchor and endeavoured to turn the yacht round. At this stage the boat got lodged in the rocks

“I sent up two parachute flares showing my distress The yacht washed further on to the rocks and was out of control.

“A launch appeared within a few minutes and threw a rope to me which I made fast. The launch tried to pull the boat off the rocks with no success. “It was some minutes after tha<t that assistance came from the beach. My two children, my wife and myself were assisted on to the beach.*’ Swam to Yacht uewis Donald Aitken, a driver, of Leigh, said that on the night of April 26 he received a message that a yacht was in trouble out f’om Leigh. “I went down to the beach with my brother, Murray Aitken. When I got to the beach 1 met Peter Burrell,” said Aitken.

“I saw a yacht about 30 to 40 yards out in the bay It had its lights on and was being bumped heavily on the

rocks by the large breakers which were coming in. “The breakers were actually breaking over the yacht. I saw the outline of some persons sitting in the cockpit. “Two men, Burrell and Hugh Boggs, joined hands with me and we assisted each other along the rocks until the water became too deep. We then released each other and swam out to the distressed yacht.” Aitken said he climbed aboard the yacht and with Boggs untangled a rope with which Burrell swam ashore.

“I gave assistance to help the others off the yacht, helping the woman through the water as I also returned to the beach,” he said. Peter Ronald Burrell, a fisherman, of Leigh, said the yacht was being pounded by big waves when they swam to it. He was assisted to take the boy ashore by Ewan Mathieson.

Selwyn Gerbick. proprietor of the Leigh Hotel, said Boggs, Burrell and Lewis Aitken were fully clothed when they swam out. Gerbick said he went out in a boat assisted by a line and was handed the girl.

“I applied mouth-to-mouth resuscitation immediately and brought her ashore,” said Gerbick. Frederich John Franich, a commercial fisherman, of Leigh, said he took his launch Seasprite out of Leigh harbour to give what assistance he could.

“I steered to within 20 feet of the yacht and threw my anchor rope to it,” he said.

He made two attempts to pull the yacht off the rocks, but on the second occasion the rope broke. “The weather at the time was very rough, the sea was rough, and visibility nil,” said Franich. “There was a strong easterly wind and a heavy swell. “The weather was such that I would not take my boat out of the harbour except for extreme emergency as in this case.” ■) David John Cross, a medical practitioner, of Warkworth, said he examined the girl on the beach at Leigh. “From information I ieceived of the circumstances, I formed the opinion the girl was probably dead before she was brought off the yacht,” said Cross. Cross said that from the pink colour of the dead girl's ears he thought death could have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. The Coroner said a lot of people at Leigh had taken risks to help the occupants of the yacht, and he commended their bravery.

He praised the action of Franich, in taking his launch to sea in the conditions prevailing; Burrell, Lewis Aitken and Boggs for swimming out through the breakers to give assistance; and Gerbick and Mathieson for bringing the two children ashore.