Also watching the boats being launched was Hastings retiree Margaret Broad.
"The two guys were launching a boat at Kuku Rocks and it was a bit sloppy," she said.
"The crew member got knocked over by the boat and then the boat went up, came down and the blades of the prop sliced his inner right thigh.
"He was bleeding profusely from the thigh cut, [through] an artery, and screamed out for an ambulance."
The women sat the 63-year-old man on rocks and dialled 111.
She succeeded in stemming the strong flow.
"I had my fist right on that cut as hard as I could."
Ms Cushing said she did the same on the knee injury.
"There was a woman walking past and I said, 'You wouldn't happen to be a nurse, would you?' And she was, so she took his pulse."
After about 20 minutes members of the Waimarama Rural Fire Force took over from Ms Broad, a former Queen's Guide and Girl Guide leader.
Ms Broad said he remained conscious throughout because of quick action.
"We managed to get to him in time and stem the flow."
She said she was now the butt of jokes, having held her fist on a man's groin for 20 minutes.
"We kept him cheerful by joking about that."
A St John Ambulance and Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter arrived on the scene and the man was airlifted to hospital.
The women were more stoic than Ms Cushing's partner, who stepped into a pool of blood to steady the aluminium boat.
"He was nearly fainting because he can't deal with blood."
Last night the man was in a serious but stable condition in Hawkes Bay Hospital.
