By SCOTT INGLIS
Three ill-equipped fishermen whose unseaworthy boat ran out of petrol in bad weather in the Hauraki Gulf on Saturday have come under fire from the coastguard.
The trio took the 17m aluminium runabout out for an all-day fishing expedition near Little Barrier Island despite a strong wind warning.
They ran out of petrol on their way back to Omaha. They had no marine radio and one of the group used the only cellphone on board to ring his wife for help during a torrential downpour about 6 pm.
They had experienced squally showers, northwesterlies up to 35 knots, bad visibility and rough seas.
Auckland Volunteer Coastguard spent five hours searching for them. The men thought they were in Omaha Bay but they were in fact kilometres away off Pakiri Beach, north of Cape Rodney.
The coastguard said none of the men knew how to use a flare and they had to be given instructions over the cellphone so they could set off flares to guide their rescuers.
A global positioning system on board was set up for hunting only.
Coastguard duty officer Jaron Phillips questioned the men's decision to go out in the conditions. He also described the boat as being "on its last legs."
The coastguard towed the men to Omaha.
In another coastguard callout, an 11m yacht began sinking about 3km north of Oneroa Bay at Waiheke Island early on Saturday.
The lone sailor set off two flares when the boat began taking on water some time after 2 am.
Three coastguard boats responded and rescuers on one, the Consort, found the vessel and pumped out the water and towed the yacht to Westhaven for an emergency haulout.
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