RESCUE FROM SEA

Taranaki Daily News, 12 January 1935, Page 5

RESCUE FROM SEA

TWO MEN AND A YOUNG BOY. CAPSIZE OF THEIR YACHT. Struck by a sudden gust of wind on Thursday, a Wakatere class yacht, about three miles off Rothesay Bay, capsized, and three occupants, two men and a boy, were forced to cling to the upturned boat for over an hour before assistance arrived. It was only through good fortune that their plight was noticed, and an outboard boat was sent from Mairangi Bay, four miles away, to rescue them. The owner of the yacht was Mr. W. Mitchell, of Mairangi Bay, and he had with him his son Ray, aged 11, and his brother-in-law Mr. W. Boon. They had set out in the morning on a fishing expedition and were just preparing to return when they saw a strong blow approaching. In luffing hurriedly they failed to trim the ship and she capsized. The lad was put on the keel, but the two men had to remain in the water, clinging to the hull. Fortunately, just at the moment the boat capsized an observer saw it from a position above Mairangi Bay and set out to secure assistance. Eventually he found that Mr. A. A. Pond, a local storekeeper, possessed a dinghy fitted with an outboard motor. With a friend Mr. Pond immediately got the boat out and reached the yacht in a little over 20 minutes. “It was a good job that the capsize of the yacht was noticed,” said Mr. Pond on Thursday. “When we arrived one of the men was in a bad state of exhaustion, and I do not think he could have held on very much longer.” The sails were removed from the yacht, which was taken in tow, but not before efforts were made to retrieve some of the fish which had fallen out of the vessel and which were floating close by. With the heavy tow, the little outboard took over four hours to return to the shore.

The same squall of wind which struck the yacht was noticed in Mairangi Bay itself, and was compared by some residents to a small whirlwind. In one yard several clothes were torn from the line by the force of the gust