KEY POINTS:
Police have slammed the actions of a group of boaties who had to be rescued when their 12m launch hit rocks at Whakatane.
Officers said some of the six had been drinking and an inexperienced crew member took the helm as the vessel crossed the notorious bar at
the entrance to Whakatane River on Sunday.
An owner of the boat, which spilled diesel into the river when it hit the rocks at 5pm, has denied the group were drinking on board.
But Whakatane police search and rescue co-ordinator Sergeant Andrew O'Reilly said officers could smell alcohol on several of the group, including the owner, and condemned their actions.
"This had the potential for loss of life and the crew can only be described as foolhardy," he said.
"It cannot be stressed enough that alcohol and boats do not mix."
A large hole was ripped in the concrete hull of the launch when it hit the rocks on the western side of the channel, causing diesel to spill into the water and the vessel to break apart.
Mr O'Reilly said debris from the wreck had spread into the river, and whitebaiters were being warned not to set nets because of the danger of contaminating their catch.
The rescue of the six adults was undertaken in difficult conditions and involved police, members of Coastguard Whakatane and the fishing vessel Enchanter.
Mr O'Reilly said the launch had misjudged the bar, which has claimed other boats, and was pushed into the rocks by an incoming tide. The skipper at the time was a woman who was sober but inexperienced, he said.
However, Ian Taft, a member of the family who own the boat and one of the group of four men and two women on board, blamed the incident on the difficulties of negotiating the bar.
"That bar can be a bit hairy, but it's just one of those things. It catches out the best of skippers."
He denied any of the group were drinking as they returned to Whakatane, saying they had stayed overnight on the launch and had "a few drinks" at Whale Island (Moutohora).
He believed police had spotted a 20-litre container with empty cans inside and jumped to the conclusion they were drinking. But Mr O'Reilly disputed this, saying it was clear some of the group had been drinking.
He said the incident served as a reminder to all boaties - particularly as summer approached - of the dangers of drinking at sea.
"A few beers and a bit of a yarn can turn to custard very, very quickly."
Although drinking on boats is not illegal, it is akin to drinking and driving, and many local charter operators no longer allow alcohol.
Mr O'Reilly warns that alcohol also lessens the chance of survival for anyone who falls overboard because coldwater shock and respiratory spasm set in more easily.
Sunday's rescue was carried out in fading light and with the incoming tide creating a half-metre break over the bar. Rescuers were forced to back their vessel on to the nose of the launch to reach the boaties, who were "bailing furiously" when help arrived.