Crayfishing Boat Sinks In Sound

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29912, 28 August 1962, Page 16

Crayfishing Boat Sinks In Sound

(New Zealand Press Association) INVERCARGILL, August 27. Two fishermen had a narrow escape from drowning when their boat was pitched against a submerged tree and sank rapidly at the entrance to a Fiordland sound last week. The two men managed to escape in a dinghy and were later returned to land at Doubtful sound.

The two men are Matenge Taiaroa. aged 27, married, of Dunedin, skipper, and Lawry Waitiri, married, of Bluff. The crayfishing vessel, which sank in 80 fathoms, was the 47ft Bluff-based Rakoa, owned by Otakau Fisheries of Dunedin. Messrs Taiaroa and Waitiri walked the Doubtful Sound track and were brought across Lake Manapouri by water taxi to Manapouri. They have arrived back in Dunedin. The Rakoa was returning from a crayfishing trip about 3.15 p.m. on Wednesday and was entering Charles Sound, the second sound south of Milford, when the collision with the tree occurred. At this time of year with heavy rainfalls, many trees are washed into the Sounds and submerged ones are always a constant hazard to fishermen. The sea was only moderate at the time, but the boat was coming down from the crest of the wave into a trough when it struck the tree. The impact of the collision opened the timber of the Rakoa and the boat filled and sank in about five minutes. The crew had time to send only two brief distress calls

before launching the dinghy. They did not manage to save any , equipment. It could not be ascertained tonight whether the two men spent a night in the dinghy. They were picked up by the boat Kiwi Cruiser and later transferred to the fishing vessel Plucky, based at Waikawa. The Plucky took the two men to Deep Cove, Doubtful Sound, where radio contact was made with Otakau Fisheries’ own radio station at Dunedin; ’Hie pair, together with the skipper of another fishing boat, the Miss Akaroa, Mr G. Brasell, walked the 10 V - mile Doubtful Sound track to West Arm, Lake Manapouri, arriving at 12.30 p.m. A water-taxi belonging to the Manapouri - Doubtful Sound Tourist Company, piloted by Mr A. Blair, made the journey to West Arm, where it picked up the two men and took them to Manapouri. The manager of the Otakau Fisheries met the men and they were taken to Dunedin.

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