Kevin Price avoids heading out for a fish on the busy weekends after "death was staring me in the face" during a near-collision off Busby Point. Photo / Jodi Bryant
Kevin Price avoids heading out for a fish on the busy weekends after "death was staring me in the face" during a near-collision off Busby Point. Photo / Jodi Bryant
Kevin Price has confidently navigated and fished the Whangārei Harbour most of his 68 years. But a "possum in the headlights" situation where he was almost mown down by a vessel coming at him full-speed, has left him shaken.
"I'd been fishing just off the channel earlier but decided tomove because people were zooming around like maniacs so I headed out off Busby Point, anchored up and continued fishing," he recalls of the recent early Saturday morning incident.
Having caught half a dozen snapper on his 12ft aluminium, he'd just brought in one of his rods and was about to bring in the other, up-anchor and head home, when a boat rounded the corner coming straight at him at top speed.
"I was in their direct sunlight so this guy couldn't see me, he just kept coming straight at me flat-out. I was wearing a bright yellow lifejacket and I stood up and was waving at them but they just kept coming."
Price said he went into "survivor mode" as he contemplated diving out the right or left-hand side of his boat to avoid the impact.
"I realised I'd get mown down either way so I just sat down hoping he'd miss me but almost waiting for the impact."
He estimated the couple, who he described as possibly being in their 50s, to be travelling at around 30km/h and said they missed the back corner of his boat by mere millimetres.
"If my rod had of still been in the rod holder, they would have struck it, that's how close they got. They could have driven straight over top of me and I would have got minced up by their prop."
Kevin had just pulled in the rod on the left or else the boat would have clipped it as it whizzed past. Photo / Jodi Bryant
As it happened, Price was left drenched and badly shaken.
"I got totally drenched and ended up with quite a few litres of water on the boat."
He said the couple were completely oblivious to his boat, along with his yelling, screaming and waving as they passed but they did slow down after and look back.
"They looked back and saw me. They would have seen that I was anchored and fishing. Then they just continued on their way out towards the Hen and Chicks."
Price said he didn't report the incident because it happened too fast for him to gather identification details. However, he estimated the aluminium boat to be at least 16ft long with possibly a blue and/or yellow stripe.
He describes the occupants' behaviour as "absolutely reckless".
"The way that they were driving, it just shows that it's inexperience. If you were experienced you would know to at least zig-zag to enable vision. They really should make training mandatory for people who use a certain-sized boat.
"Time and time again I hear of boats going too close to others at speed. It's just dangerous, somebody's going to get killed and it was almost me.
"I see a lot of families out there just in a little boat and it could be mum and dad and the kids, and a boat can just go over top of them and it's all over."
"I learnt all this stuff off my dad and you think you know it all but there's always something you can learn."
Price said he had noticed a huge increase in boats on the harbour over the past two years.
"They get these new toys and they don't know how to operate them. It's just dangerous."
Northland Regional Council deputy harbourmaster Laurence Walkinshaw agreed.
"We're talking generally good law-abiding people but they're just unaware of the rules."
He said the give-way vessel must take early and obvious action to avoid a collision.
Of the "zig-zag" theory, Walkinshaw said: "I can understand the logic behind it but it presents other issues and becomes very difficult for either the give-way or stand-on vessel to take effective action. My advice would be to proceed at a safe speed appropriate to prevailing circumstances and conditions, including sunstrike, fog, rain, darkness, the sea state and numbers of other vessels in the area."
New Zealand is one of just a few countries where skipper licensing and boat registration is not required for recreational boaties. However, Walkinshaw encouraged them to undertake at least a day skipper's course.
"It is important for recreational skippers to remember that, as the person in charge of their vessel, they are responsible for the safety of their vessel and, more importantly, of all those on board. Even without a full and comprehensive knowledge of the rules, basic consideration of others and thinking about the potential 'What-ifs?' will carry a skipper a long way towards avoiding an on-water incident.
"That being said, a vessel is a significant asset; $20-30k will pay for a relatively basic vessel with top-end costing well in excess of $100k. To invest in some form of formal boating education, relatively-speaking, is of no great cost either financially or in time. For experienced boaties, it also does not hurt; knowledge is perishable and it pays to keep up-to-date with rules and best practice."
Walkinshaw said although plenty of people were out on the water enjoying the long anniversary weekend, there were no significant incidents.
"The weekend of the [McLeod Bay] Sand Bank party, however, saw a boat flip at the end of the event with two people ending up in the water – both were intoxicated and neither had lifejackets."
He said it is anticipated that this long Waitangi weekend will also be busy and skippers are asked to:
• Mind their speed, especially near shore, around dive flags and near other vessels. • Make sure enough lifejackets are carried for everyone on board, that they fit and are worn. • Keep a proper look-out. • Wait until the boat is safely home before opening a drink.
