Home is the sailor ... with a flash new boat

SEAFARER: Veteran trawlerman Mike Terry in Napier's inner harbour, with the fishing boat he has brought out from Newfoundland. PHOTO/GLENN TAYLOR

When veteran Napier trawler skipper Mike Terry came across the boat he recognised as the one he could see himself "enjoying for the rest of my fishing career" he had to go a fair way to pick it up.

Half a world away as it transpired - as it was moored in a small fishing village on the island of Fogo off Newfoundland, Canada.

"Yeah it was a bit of a way to go," he said, adding that there were "a lot of hiccups" getting it bought, delivered and finally moored at West Quay in Ahuriri.

"But if I was asked to do it all again - you betcha," he said.

"At my age you don't turn anything to do with boats down," the 62-year-old with 44 years' experience fishing said.

Mr Terry had some big boats when the pursuit of orange roughy erupted in the late '80s, and then went down to a smaller 12m one.

He had been semi-retired, but decided to spark it up again with his son, who also has his skipper's ticket.

So, back in April he begin scouting around for something which would fit the bill.

"I started looking around on the internet and came across a website located in Newfoundland, Canada - the size and models of boats was just what I was looking for and the price was within the range I was willing to pay, because of course shipping had to be taken into consideration."

He and a good mate flew to Newfoundland, an eye opening experience as when they got there the ocean was completely frozen.

"You could actually walk around boats on the ice."

After meeting up with a local, Jason Sweetland, they drove about 6000km around Newfoundland.

"We were in our element - surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of fishing boats in small coastal fishing villages."

When Mr Terry finally clapped eyes on a 13.5m fibreglass and aluminium boat called 'Atlantic Dawn' he knew the deal was done, and after initial paperwork returned home.

In July he and his son travelled back to start the journey of bringing the boat home - and it was some journey.

On paper it was simple - sail it to New York, get it loaded on a container ship bound for Tauranga, then sail it to Napier.

While his son sailed it to New York Mr Terry returned home, then got a call to say there were problems with the shipping company.

"Within the space of 24 hours my wife and I were on a plane headed to New York."

He was confronted by issues involving unions, lack of high-strength lifting strops and "what seemed like every excuse under the sun".

At the end of the day they missed the container ship and faced a three-week wait for another one, although there was one benefit.

"There are worse places to be stuck for three weeks."

They stayed on a hired boat at a marina near New Jersey, bought a barbecue, some deck chairs and bikes and soaked up the sights of New York in the 28 degree heat.

"I reckon we probably ended up seeing more of New York than many New Yorkers."

The trawler was finally loaded on the second container ship and after 34 days arrived at the Port of Tauranga, although there were more delays as they needed to bring in a bigger crane and the boat was not allowed straight in the water - it had to be washed down thoroughly.

"This caused a frantic search for a truck large enough to haul the boat to the wash bay and the next morning she was trucked around the Port of Tauranga, and as you can imagine heads were turning and cameras were out as it's not everyday day a 13.5m fishing vessel is being transported on the back of a truck."

After a scrub down the Atlantic Dawn was finally back in the ocean and last month, while high winds lashed the country, he sailed it to Napier.

"Steaming into the Iron Pot for the first time was quite emotional as after all the highs and lows we had finally bought the Atlantic Dawn home."

Mr Terry said he was still working through New Zealand Maritime Law conditions but that he expected he would be able to embark on his first fishing expedition (for flounder, gurnard and tarakihi) aboard the Atlantic Dawn in two to three weeks' time.