Maritime Carol

The bow dipped, the bilge alarm came on and we were obviously taking on water...   Three years ago contract skipper Brian Climo departed Westhaven on a routine dolphin & whale watching trip.     Dreamweaver's thirty six passengers and four crew had heard the safety briefing, seen the life jacket demonstration and a trip report had been given.       The 23rd February, 2015 was no different than any other Dreamweaver charter and they were soon steaming around North Head towards TiriTiri Matangi.    The crew had worked together before and at the end of each trip they'd socialize over a beer or two.    After thirty five years at sea, Brian knew the Hauraki Gulf well and was confident of his skills as a skipper.    He knew Dreamweaver had a current Survey Certificate but didn't know that her bow section had previously been repaired three times.     As the day progressed, lun...

You've booked the trip, paid the money, packed your bags & gear and now its time to board the boat. But how can you make sure its safe and that the skipper knows what she/he is doing? While NZ has a well regulated commercial vessel fleet operating with trained crew and compliant vessels, passengers should also be aware of the following: 1. Even though the charter boat may have a MNZ number on the side, this may not be current. You can check the status of the boat here:   http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/commercial/vessel-search/ 2. If the boat fails to return at the designated time, someone at home should know what boat you are on and where you were going.   The skipper should also complete a trip report to a shore base.   3. A prudent skipper/crew will designate a crew person to assist passengers on board the boat.  If someone falls into the water at this point, someone will be there to rescue them.  Is the skipper or crew present when you board the ...

'It was parked under our bedroom window.   In the morning it was gone, heard nothing, he hit the house & we now have his stolen bumper.' Summer time and the living is easy - especially if you want a trailer boat for free. "December to March is when the highest number of trailer boats are stolen", says Ian Walker of NZ Marine Valuations Ltd, "and its when I get involved with Pre-Accident Value (PAV) for owners and insurance companies." Trailer boats (including jet skis) are the worst with boaties sometimes returning to the boat ramp to find the trailer gone without a trace.   "The more ways we can stop trailer boat theft the better." says Ian. Here's seven ways to stop your trailer boat being stolen: 1. Set an alarm - having a alarm will create awareness of tampering and theft. 2. Install sensor lights where it is parked. 3. Fit a lock bar to the trailer and use it at boat-ramps as well as when parked up. 4. Chain trailer to a...

Before I up-skilled on bar crossings today, all I knew about them was that there was three kinds of bars - dangerous, very dangerous and very very dangerous - in other words, they're ALL dangerous.   Living on the Kaipara Harbour for sixteen years and being involved with Coastguard Kaipara, I know the Kaipara Bar is dangerous.  We all do - it's not called the Graveyard without a good reason. I crossed the Raglan Bar on a good day and the swells were huge.  I can imagine how rough it would get with adverse weather & tide. With the tragedy over the weekend and not being a bar crossing expert, I checked out MNZ's National Code of Practice for Bar Crossings.   There are the procedures: stow gear low, wear life-jackets, check weather, tide & bar conditions, batten down, avoid night crossings and ebb tide...etc However, at the end of the recommendations it states: "It is ultimately the skipper's responsibility to determine whether or not to cross a bar...