Rescue drama at sea as skipper collapses

By PATRICK GOWER

The skipper of Auckland's first dolphin-watch tour boat collapsed unconscious while cruising nine miles offshore in the Hauraki Gulf with 15 tourists on his catamaran.

The first mate was forced to grab the helm after skipper Stephen Stembridge collapsed on the deck after suffering a suspected stroke.

Mr Stembridge, aged 36, was winched unconscious on board the WestpacTrust rescue helicopter as the boat careered along at speeds up to 20 knots.

The Coastguard vessel Alpha One, already out in the gulf making a promotional video, pulled alongside the 20m catamaran to transfer a replacement skipper to help bring it back to shore.

The Coastguard said last night that the tourists had been pleased to see the rescuers arrive after Mr Stembridge collapsed.

He remained unconscious and in a critical condition in Auckland Hospital late last night.

Mr Stembridge set up Auckland's first swimming-with-dolphins operation after getting a permit from the Department of Conservation.

He ran a similar operation, the first in the Bay of Islands, before putting more than $1 million into the Hauraki Gulf tours three months ago.

A spokesman for the company, senior skipper Jay Milne, praised the actions of the first mate, who did not want to be named, who had been left shaken by the incident.

"Everyone was pretty worried out there."

The tourists had set out on a perfect late spring day for a trip on board the Dolphin Explorer to look for dolphins and whales.

But things went wrong between Flat Rock and Anchorite Rock, in a remote part of the outer gulf about eight nautical miles east of Kawau Island.

After Mr Stembridge collapsed, the first mate raised the alarm on the catamaran's radio and took control of the boat.

The first mate saw the Alpha One and began to head for it. Meanwhile, the WestpacTrust helicopter arrived and winched its paramedic, Bruce Kerr, down to the catamaran, where he decided that Mr Stembridge needed to be airlifted to hospital.

Crewman Leon Ford winched the two men up as pilot Ian Johnstone manoeuvered the helicopter to keep alongside the catamaran as it sped along at 19 knots.

"We had a good pilot, some good talking and good teamwork," said Mr Ford.

"I was calling the position of the hit within a metre radius of where I wanted to drop and pick up the paramedic.

"Once we got him in the helicopter, Bruce was working on him, I was securing the stretcher and then suddenly we were back at Mechanics Bay."

Meanwhile, the replacement skipper from the Auckland Coastguard rescue vessel boarded the catamaran and brought it back to Auckland.

Some of the tourists helped to lift Mr Stembridge on board the stretcher to get him on the chopper.

Lesley Cracknell, holidaying from England, praised the calmness of the first mate and his crew.

"We were all sitting up the back of the boat chatting and it all came as a shock," she said.

"It came over the intercom that there was a problem and we would have to turn around.

"The guy who took over and his crew were perfect. They were just concerned about the skipper and getting us back to shore safely."