Hero boat skipper back on water after blaze

Saturday, 23 January 2016

David Plews skipper of PeeJay V which caught fire

Just five days after the boat he was skippering caught fire, sending terrified passengers diving into the sea, David Plews was back at work taking another load of tourists to White Island.

'It was good to get back out, it was my first time skippering again since Monday,' said skipper Plews.

His actions are being credited with saving dozens of lives after the PeeJay V caught fire while returning from a trip to the island's active volcano on Monday.

PeeJay V skipper David Plews, top left, surveys the damage as a blaze rips through his boat.

The 60 people on board - 53 passengers and seven crew - jumped into the sea and were rescued by other boats as flames engulfed the double-decker vessel.

* Mother watched boat fire grow while daughter on board**

Two people were taken to hospital but no-one was seriously injured. Investigations are underway into the cause of the blaze, which is thought to have begun started in the engine room.

Skipper David Plews was back on the water five days after tourist boat Peejay 5 caught fire about 1km off the shore of Whakatane.

Passenger Robert Laking said the skipper was 'completely calm and matter of fact throughout the ordeal', and gave clear instructions from the bridge.

'He was the last to leave the ship. He did a swandive from the bow.'

A White Islands Tour boat caught fire off the coast of Whakatane on Monday afternoon, forcing passengers to jump overboard.

Plews, in his 60s, has lived in the area all his life and is a grandfather. He was a commercial fisherman for many years, like his father before him. He then ran a charter fishing boat before selling it to concentrate on working for White Island Tours.

Now, he is the talk of town in Whakatane. Peter Cavanagh, a former harbourmaster and commercial fisherman said Plews 'did a very good job'.

'The sea conditions were atrocious. David got the boat close to shore, he put the anchor down so it was facing into the sea, he got the crew all lifejacketed up - he ran it textbook style, it was brilliantly done,' he said.

'It could have been disastrous if it had been any further out.'

Cavanagh described the loss of the PeeJay V like a 'death in the family'.

Steve Haddock, another fisherman, also for dropping anchor. 'Had he not, several things would have happened - it would have drifted on to the breakers and it could have been a nightmare.

'By putting the boat into the wind it meant the flames were going to the stern - everyone was congregated on the bow. With the boat stationary it made it easier for guys handling the rescue boats to manoeuvre around the bow and pick up passengers.'

When Plews guided the PeeJay IV back to the Whakatane Wharf yesterday, he was met by White Island Tours owners Peter and Jenny Tait, who were upset because sea conditions had prevented the vessel from landing on the island.

'This has cost us 10 grand because we couldn't land. We run a 100 per cent refund, that's our company rule,' Peter Tait said. 'We've been through hell, we've just gone on our first trip [since the fire] and we've had to give a 100 per cent refund - it's not a good day for us.'

Passengers were thrilled with their trip, if a little sea sick in Saturday's chop, and were not put off by the fire.

'We flew all the way down here from Canada,' said passenger Emil Degenhardt. 'You see the odd plane that goes down and that doesn't stop you flying.'