Northland storm: Salvage of launch sunk by flood debris

A second salvage attempt for a damaged launch gets under way on Monday afternoon at Paihia. Photo / Tania Whyte

Logs washed down the Waitangi River during the weekend's torrential rain have been blamed for sinking a Northland boatie's pride and joy.

Northland harbourmaster Jim Lyle said the launch had been knocked off a pole mooring at Waitangi by logs swept down the flooded Waitangi River.

After sinking in Tii Bay the vessel had eventually beached opposite Davis Cres in Paihia, where members of the Bay of Islands Yacht Club had patched the damage with plywood sheets and pumped the vessel out.

After the first salvage attempt failed, more patches were applied to damage at the bow. A second attempt was due to get under way at high tide on Monday evening, Lyle said.

The stricken launch in Paihia's Tii Bay. Photo / Supplied

In other storm-related incidents on Saturday an old steel yacht sank at its mooring in Totara North and channel marker buoys were dragged down Whangārei's Hatea River.

As of yesterday afternoon, all but two of the buoys had been returned to their proper positions.

The Northland Regional Council was talking to the owner about removing the sunken yacht.

Given the severity of the weekend's weather damage was relatively light, Lyle said.