Two boaties taken to hospital after their vessel ends up on Boulder Bank

Thursday, 16 November 2023

Two boaties were taken to hospital suffering hypothermia and a back injury after the engine on their small boat failed and they ended up on the Boulder Bank.

Nelson harbourmaster Stuart Whitehouse said the pair were fishing early Wednesday evening when their small vessel’s engine failed.

The wind pushed the vessel towards the Boulder Bank, and the pair jumped out to await rescue there.

The harbourmaster vessel and crew, alerted by a call from a yacht taking part in the Wednesday night race series, went to help.

It was an “unusual place to wash up”, and the vessel reached the men from the Haven side of the Boulder Bank, Whitehouse said.

The pair were wearing lifejackets, and they had cellphones.

“[However], they found wet hands and salt water don’t work well with cellphones; they didn’t have a way to contact anyone.”

It quickly became apparent that the men needed medical attention, Whitehouse said. Wet and cold from plunging into the water to make their way to shore, hypothermia was setting in, and one of the pair had a back injury.

The harbourmaster crew secured the boat, and returned to collect it the following day, using flotation devices to bring it to shore, where it was found to have holes in the hull.

Whitehouse said anyone bringing their boat out of storage for the summer should get the engine serviced before taking their vessel into Tasman Bay, which could be an “unforgiving environment”.

This summer, the top of the south could expect more westerly winds that were risky for boats experiencing engine failure, as they would be pushed into the coastline, Whitehouse said.

He urged anyone heading out on the water to ensure they had two forms of communication, and all the right safety gear.

An earlier version of this article incorrectly said Coastguard Nelson was involved in the rescue, but it was the Nelson harbourmaster vessel and crew. Amended November 16, 6.50pm.