Boy rescued from cabin of overturned yacht

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32425, 12 October 1970, Page 1

Boy rescued from cabin of overturned yacht

A two-year-old boy was rescued at Lyttelton yesterday from the overturned hull of his father’s yacht in which he had been trapped for more than 30 minutes.

He is Garth Atkinson, the son of Mr and Mrs K. Atkinson, of 12 Avro Crescent. He was admitted to the Christchurch Hospital where his condition last evening was serious but improving.

Mr Atkinson, his wife, Garth and a crewman were sailing at Lyttelton in a race to mark the opening of the season for the Canterbury Trailer Yacht Squadron.

Mr Atkinson’s boat, Amiri, was one of five which overturned when the southerly squall swept up the harbour about 11.30 a.m.

Leading part Mr W. Mockett, whose own boat, Canale, overturned, played a leading role in the rescue. When he arrived in a fishing boat he found Mr Atkinson, his wife and the crewman in the water. The Amiri was upside-down. Mr Mockett jumped in to assist the three who had been in the water for more than 30 minutes, “lhey were pretty exhausted. After struggling for some time we were able to get the Amiri on its side,” he said.

“We could see the boy floating in the cabin near the back. We got in and his father got him out,” he said. The boy who had been wearing a life-jacket was taken to Christchurch Hospital by the Lyttelton St John ambulance.

The Lyttelton fishing boats Kawahai and Nimbus rescued persons from the overturned yachts. Mr D. Brown, of the Nimbus, said he was coming back into port after fishing. “The yachts were concentrated in one area. We could see them before the squall hit; they were on the seaward side of the wharf extensions and about half-way across the harbour. “We didn’t see them go over. There was a flat curtain of hail and the winds were between 40 and 50 knots. Upside-down “Most of the yachts ended upside-down. We came across tliem as we steamed on up the harbour.”

Mr Brown said he picked up a few and towed one of the yachts back inside the moles.

“I was too busy to see much of what went on,” said Mr P. Hunt, skipper of the Kawahai. “I was working keeping her just right so my mate, Ron Quartly, could get people out of the water. “some of those I picked up jumped back into the water to give the crew of the Amiri a hand. When they got th? boy on board it was Ron who got him going again.” In tow Mr Hunt said that most of the yachts overturned near Pile light. He took one in tow and headed for the inner harbour after having seen all the people were safe. Sub-Lieutenant J. Granville, officer commanding the R.N.Z.N. fisheries protection launch, Haku, said his launch and another were tied up in Lyttelton when two men asked for help. “I had just enough crew

after borrowing one from the other fisheries protection launch and we went out to find two yachts close in beneath the cliffs. Back to harbour “We took both yachts in tow and were travelling very slowly back to the harbour when we got a message that Mr Atkinson’s son was seriously ill. Mr Atkinson was one of the men on board so we cast off both yachts and made for the harbour where Mr Atkinson was put ashore. “We then went back and got the two yachts which we brought inside the moles and then passed the tow to a sea cadet boat which took them over to the moorings,” SubLieutenant Granville said.

Mr E. Gayley, of the Lyttelton St John Ambulance Brigade, said two doctors and all Lyttelton brigade members were on hand to assist the persons as they came ashore. They were all exhausted. x The commodore of the squadron (Mr W. G. Burrough) said the yachts were taking part in a race of between four and five miles. They had completed about three-quartesr of the course when the wind hit

“We intend to do something to recognise Mr Mockett’s feat. It was an exceptional effort. He had been in the water himself for over half an hour earlier," Mr Burrough said.