Moored boats are causing headaches for the Bay of Plenty harbourmaster. Video / Gavin Ogden
A lack of lifejackets being used on the water is still causing problems for the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Harbourmaster.
But it’s not just a minority of boaties breaking the rules – there’s been an increase in kayakers and paddleboard users not carrying lifejackets too.
When Local Focus spent a day following the patrol team, it wasn’t long before we saw the issue first-hand.
“As you saw, the two kids were on the paddleboard a good 150m from shore. We could see they had no lifejackets and they actually fell in,” Tauranga harbour patrol officer, Kevin Arnold, said.
“Our first concern is safety of the children. We’ve got an outgoing tide, it’s quite windy – 15 knots, they could get blown out quite quickly.”
After making sure the juveniles were okay, the patrol team issued them with lifejackets and followed them back to shore to speak to the owner of the paddleboard.
“We explained to the owner that, because the paddleboard was being used without lifejackets, it does commit a breach. The details would be passed on to the harbourmaster team for review and decide if any further action would be taken.”
Arnold gave the paddleboard owner a comprehensive book that explains the regulations regarding lifejackets in the Bay of Plenty.
Even in the absence of a ‘real’ summer, the harbourmaster team had its work cut out, with moored boats becoming a large and costly problem.
“We’re down in Ōmokoroa in the moored boat area and after some heavy rain we’ve got a few vessels that are sitting low,” senior maritime officer, Roly Bagshaw, said.
“Nationally, moored boats are a big problem, not just here in Tauranga. They’re boats that have been left and not monitored as well as what they could have been.
“It’s part of our team’s responsibility to make sure everything stays floating.”
Should a boat end up submerged, it’s up to the registered owner to foot the recovery bill.
“If the boat sinks you can be looking at contracted barges along with commercial divers. Owners can be in excess of $15,000 for a small boat and the bigger the boat the bigger the cost.”
The Port of Tauranga is back to its busy self.
After a few years without cruise ships, the port of Tauranga is back to its busy self now they’ve returned.
“It’s really important our patrols clear the way,” Bagshaw said. “These vessels have a really limited ability to manoeuvre around small boats, so it’s essential that we keep it clear.
“The pilots of these vessels really cannot see. We say about 500m in front of the vessel, don’t expect to be seen. If you happen to be out here and see a tug boat or pilot boat or harbourmaster boat movement, be mindful there will be a ship to come.”
The regional council is asking the public for feedback on its Navigational Safety Bylaws.
