- A boat capsized several kilometres off Hawke’s Bay, leaving five crew in the water, some without lifejackets.
- The boat capsized so quickly that an emergency beacon couldn’t be activated, or a mayday call made.
- The crew were uninjured, thanks to a 111 call made from a cellphone in a waterproof bag.
A boat several kilometres off the Hawke’s Bay coast capsized so quickly the crew had no time to put a mayday call out or activate an emergency beacon.
Fortunately, one of the crew had a cellphone in a waterproof bag.
“They were able to get a 111 call out, showing the value of having multiple means of communication,” Coastguard Hawke’s Bay skipper Henry van Tuel said.
The Coastguard members were having a first aid refresher course on Saturday when the call came in.