Coroner wants cannabis link to muddled thinking investigated

A coroner wants to know the impact cannabis may have had on a man who drowned when his fishing boat sank off the Northland coast in August last year.

Skipper Gregory Thirkettle, 24, from Cambridge, and his cousin Mark Scott, 25, of Helensville, died when the 18-metre tuna boat Iron Maiden sank in heavy seas near Pandora Bank, south of Cape Reinga.

An inquest into their deaths opened at Kaitaia District Court yesterday.

Coroner Robin Fountain, who made interim findings, said Australian research had suggested thinking processes could be adversely affected by smoking cannabis.

If that was the case for Mr Thirkettle -- who had smoked a joint of cannabis in the hours before his death -- then two people's lives may have been lost unnecessarily when the decision was made to round Cape Maria van Diemen into heavy seas and winds, Mr Fountain said.

He adjourned his final decision until July 25 so police could make further inquiries and investigate the effects of cannabis on thought processes.

The implications of cannabis affecting cognitive thinking, if established, could be far reaching for the maritime industry and other industries, the coroner said.

Crew on a fishing boat found Mr Thirkettle's body with a locater beacon attached on the morning following the sinking of the boat.

Mr Scott's body has never been found.

Mr Fountain also found, in the interim, that Mr Thirkettle died by drowning and Mr Scott died at the same time.

The boat sank rapidly in high seas with winds blowing 30 to 55 knots.

He also found a search and rescue attempt was sound but adverse conditions and lack of time had made it impossible to succeed.

The Northland Electricity rescue helicopter, based at Whangarei, was deployed as soon as it could have been and he would make a ruling that rumours to the contrary were unjustified, he said.

He eliminated incompetence on Mr Thirkettle's part and found no undue pressure was put on him by the owner of Iron Maiden to proceed with the voyage, a delivery trip from Mangonui to Raglan.

Mr Fountain declined to have the exact location of Iron Maiden revealed as it may be the "grave" of Mr Scott and he did not want people attempting a dangerous dive of 45m to the sunken boat.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)