‘Murderous’ Cook Strait waves unexpected

Press, 4 January 1978, Page 2

‘Murderous’ Cook Strait waves unexpected

PA Wellington “Murderous” seas in Cook Strait at the week-end — in which a $30,000 pleasure craft sank — were completely under-estimated in marine weather forecasts, seafarers asserted yesterday. Wellington’s sea rescue chief, Mr D. Deacon, said the seas — described in Saturday’s 9 a.m. official marine forecast from the Weather Office as “moderate” — were the worst he had seen.

The rescue craft Spirit of Wellington and the police launch Lady Elizabeth were nearly swamped as they headed into the strait on Saturday to rescue two men who had abandoned the $30,000 craft Kailoa in the Karori rip. “When we got to the Karori rip it was murderous,” said Mr Deacon. “The seas were incredible — it was the worst I had seen.” Waves were eight metres (25ft) high, or more, he said. His estimation was confirmed by the president of the Island Bay Surf Club (Mr W. Anderson) who

admitted he was surprised to hear the forecast describing the seas us "moderate.” “They were big and very rough. The Cook Strait ferry Aranui was taking waves over the bow — one cannot call that moderate.” A spokesman for the Weather Office confirmed that the 9 a.m. marine forecast on Saturday described the seas as “moderate” with southerlies 15 to 25 knots, moderating. He said, however, that the earlier Saturday forecast at 3 a.m. had described the seas as “rough.” The weather office had received no complaints, said the spokesman. Mr Deacon said he did not wish his remarks to be regarded as criticism of the weather forecasters, “but they were way out on this occasion.

“The seas were abnormally high, possibly as a result of south-west gales in the South Island,” he said. The nine-metre Kailoa, which was on its way to Picton, drifted out of the Karori rip towards Island Bay after being abandoned.

Its owner, Patrick Brodie, and his companion, Dennis Joyce, were plucked from their liferaft about 3.30 p.m. and returned to Wellington in the Lady Elizabeth. A Japanese trawler’s attempt to salvage the Kailoa ended in failure.

The huge trawler was waved away by a hovering helicopter but persisted in its efforts to attach a line to the Kailoa. Finally it struck the launch and sank it. Mr Brodie had been sailing the Kailoa to Picton when she began to ship water south of Karori Rock.

He and Mr Joyce abandoned the launch and were promptly rescued by the Spirit of Wellington.

The Kailoa overturned but was kept partly afloat by a pocket of air inside the hull as she drifted east along the coast.

Mr Brodie hired a helicopter to inspect the wreckage and as it hovered overhead about two miles south of Wellington Airport, the Japanese trawler approached. The helicopter’s pilot, Mr P 4 Button, said he had tried

to, wave the trawler away because the high seas meant the ship had little manoeuvreability. “She was too big to do the job. If they had put a man in the water or dropped a dory to attach the line, it might have worked, but they didn’t,” he said. The launch’s bridge had broken away from the hull and was drifting nearby. The trawler in its attempt to attach a line to the bridge had struck the hull, Mr Button said.

“They were all looking out one side at the bridge. We tried to tell them that the hull was on their other side, but they did not understand.”

The Kailoa might have been salvaged if a diver had placed an air-bag under the hull and another craft had taken the wreck under tow said Mr Button.

Mr Brodie had already arranged for divers and a towing craft when the launch sank.

Wharf police said they believed the trawler was the Banshu Manx No. 8.