Children thrown from ketch

Press, 4 January 1978, Page 10

Children thrown from ketch

PA Auckland A Takapuna woman had to throw four children to safetv from a burning ketch in rough seas at the mouth of the Hauraki Gulf on Saturday. The children were caught by her husband and lowered on to a runabout boat. Mrs Gillian Hubble was yesterday still shaken by the experience in which she, five other adults, and four children had to abandon the 52ft ketch Stornaway Lady in rough seas between Channel Island and Leigh. The ketch was insured for $60,000. With Mrs Hubble on board were her husband, Graham Hubble — dn Auckland barrister — and their two children, Justin, aged six. and Mark, aged four; Raymond Smith, his wife, Sharon, and their children, Sean, aged 10, and Elton aged five; and Graham Smith and Miss Debbie Urich, an American. The ketch is jointly owned by Mr Hubble, Mr M. Williams, an Auckland lawyer, and a businessman. Mr N. Hunt.

“We are all just venthankful to be alive,” said Mrs Hubble. “We don’t care! about what we have lost. We! just cannot believe somebody was not drowned.” The ketch was making for Leigh under motor and sail in rough seas when Mr Hubble went below and noticed a smell of fumes. Within seconds the midsection of the ketch was filled with acrid black smoke. The children were hauled from their sleeping bags and taken to the stem of the ketch. When one fire extinguisher had been turned on, the mid-section had erupted in flames, said Mrs Hubble. Amid seas estimated at 10ft the runabout was brought to the stem of the ketch and the children — clad in pyjamas — were transferred. Mrs Hubble threw the children to her husband, who was leaning over the stem of the ketch and clinging to a rope. He caught the children with his free arm and lowered them to the runabout, then Mrs Hubble clambered aboard.

The remaining adults then I swam to the runabout, but Hthere was nothing to cut the >|rope with to release it from ' Stornaway Lady. After a few frantic mo- ■ ments, Mr Hubble remembered he had a combination ■ knife, given to him as a I Christmas present, around his neck, and he cut the rope free. I For more than two hours they made slow but steady 1 progress towards Leigh where I they eventually berthed at 1 ‘ p.m. on Saturday. Mrs Hubble said that on • reflection the throwing of the I four children — not wearing ; lifejackets — had been perhaps the most horrifying part t of the ordeal, although at > the time she had not thought 5 about it. 5 Mrs Hubble said she had had thoughts of not being ■ seen for days and of het > children’s suffering from 1 exposure and dying, then the ) adults. She said the flames had 1 leapt above the deck of the ■[ketch and the sails had "'caught alight. “As we sailed away from the ketch it was well on fire. We expected to hear an explosion but didn’t. We don’t know if it has sunk or not.” The fire had started so quickly there had been no

11 chance to get life-jackets orj t| to get to the radio to broad--cast a Mayday call, Mrs -Hubble said. A victim of the fire is a ' championship two-year-old ’ corgi, Conan of Bryod, owned j t by the Smiths. Mrs Smith] . made two attempts to res- ; cue the dog. “My wife tried twice to get ] 3 the dog. She had to be physically held back,” said 2 Mr Smith. 1 Mrs Hubble said the three men had owned the ketch 1 only since August, but her e husband and the other two 2 men on board were all ex- ’ perienced ocean-racing yachtsmen, having competed 1 in international races. Her 1 husband had also been sail- . ing on Stornaway Lady for j more than a year and was ’ familiar with the ketch. a Late on Monday afternoon! e Messrs Raymond, Smith, and' Hubble flew over the area ! j where they left the ketch ■ e and sighted wreckage on’ 1 Little Barrier Island. “We are 90 per cent sure i that this was the wreckage' . and it would tie in with the i ship’s having sunk within | a two hours of our having < abandoned it,” said Mr Smith. 1 “However, we cannot be! a i positive until we get downl 3! there and identify it.”