When asked what were the main ingredients to ensure a safe boating trip, be it simply recreational or for a spot of fishing, Hawke's Bay-based New Zealand Coastguard president Henry van Tuel was quick to respond.
"Skipper responsibility," he said.
"If you are the skipper of that boat then everyone on board is your responsibility."
And being that skipper means ensuring the boat is safe and seaworthy, the engine is reliable, there are lifejackets for the "passengers" aboard, there is a reliable communication device to call for assistance if it were required, alcohol was not to be consumed, the weather forecasts had been well checked and someone back on shore had been told where you were going and the approximate time of return.
On the subject of lifejackets, Mr van Tuel described them as "critical" but added a rider to that.