Abandoned boat causes confusion at Lyttelton

Press, 28 December 1987, Page 7

Abandoned boat causes confusion at Lyttelton

Two men who abandoned their overturned yacht in Lyttelton Harbour yesterday caused the Canterbury Volunteer Coast Guard some anxiety after a rescue crew found the empty vessel floating near a light beacon about 400 metres from snore.

As the coast guard members were wondering what had happened, the 4.9 metre yacht’s crew was already alerting the coast guard back on shore.

The coast guard’s president, Mr Garry Freeman, said his crew had been surprised that the men had left the vessel, as it was unusual to find an abandoned vessel. “We didn’t know if they had been drowned or what, but it seems as if they had started to swim ashore and had been picked up by another

vessel," he said.

The guard had been alerted to the yacht’s position just after midday, and had towed it to Naval Point an hour later, after the confusion had been cleared up. One of the guard’s five women crew had to swim to the yacht to attach a tow line, as the protruding masts of the overturned vessel could have been dangerous for the coast guard vessel Warrior Two, said Mr Freeman.

The yacht appeared to have been holed, he said.

The only other incident on the harbour during the week-end was on Saturday, when the coast guard was told at 3.30 p.m. that a boat was overdue from Naval Point to Purau Bay. Minutes after the call, the boat cruised into the bay, allaying fears for the crew’s safety.