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Two boats required a dramatic rescue from Manukau Harbour yesterday when one’s flat battery brought a second to their aid, only for a skipper to tangle himself in rope in the water while the vessels drifted towards the harbour mouth’s dangerous sandbar.
Two Coastguard vessels from the Waiuku and Papakurabranches responded to the emergency, with the Police Eagle helicopter also deployed for visual and aerial support.
The man overboard suffered hypothermia and serious crush-type leg injuries from the rope, while a crew member on the assisting vessel injured their hand.
Coastguard’s Kimberley Waters told the Herald the incident was “a timely reminder that things on the water can change in an instant”.
About midday yesterday, an all-stations call for help was issued by a broken-down boat located about half a nautical mile from Cornwallis Wharf.
As the assisting vessel tried to tow the boat to safety, the rope became tangled around the propeller and the skipper’s leg, inflicting a serious crush injury.
A crew member on the assisting boat injured their hand at the same time.
Both boats began drifting towards the bar, leading to the deployment of the Police Eagle helicopter and volunteers from Coastguard Waiuku and Papakura on rescue vessels NZ Steel Rescue and Joe Hawke Rescue.
While waiting, the assisting vessel was able to free the rope from the propeller and help the man climb on board.
🚨 Person Overboard near Cornwallis Wharf, Manukau 🚨
Around midday yesterday, a recreational vessel broke down about...
Police in the air quickly gained sight of the vessels, “one of which was empty and the other which had retrieved the injured person in the water”, said acting senior sergeant Mark Jamieson, officer in charge of marine rescue.
The assisting vessel met Coastguard volunteers in Big Bay, where they transported the seriously injured skipper to Auckland Airport for treatment by the Airport Rescue medical team.
The individual who injured their hand also received treatment but was able to return to shore independently with only minor injuries.
In the Eagle, police contacted a nearby civilian boat over the maritime radio to request if they could assist recovering the vessel still adrift, Jamieson said.
Papakura Coastguard volunteers helped recover the stranded vessel and its trailer for the skipper, who was later transported to hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Jamieson said the collaboration between police and Coastguard was a “fantastic example of all agencies working together in an emergency to achieve a great outcome”.
Coastguard is “very grateful” for the boatie who came to the skipper’s aid, Waters said, and that “both Coastguard units received high praise from the Police Maritime Unit for their outstanding work”.
She reminded those on the water to always wear a lifejacket, and recommended carrying at least two communication devices, a personal locator beacon, and regular service and maintenance of boats to avoid the threat of a breakdown.
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