Boaties following lifejacket rules

The police launch Deodar III in action. PHOTO / SUPPLIED

Safety messages about the need to always have lifejackets on board seem to be getting through to Northland boaties, according to police who have just completed a week-long operation in Far North waters.

The Auckland-based police launch Deodar III, an 18.5m foil-assisted catamaran, made a stop in Tutukaka and twice travelled from the Bay of Islands to Whangaroa and Houhora with a crew change in between.

Sergeant Graham Jex (right) of Auckland maritime police and Constable Marco van den Broek of Kerikeri police at the controls of Deodar III in Opua. Photo / Peter de Graaf

On board were Far North police officers, maritime police from Auckland, Customs officials and fishery officers from the Ministry of Primary Industries.

Sergeant Graham Jex said the joint operation had stopped 12 overseas vessels, mainly yachts heading for Opua, a well as 31 recreational boats and 14 commercial vessels.

Their focus with recreational boaties was making sure they had the safety gear, including lifejackets and two forms of communication such a VHF radio and a cellphone in a resealable bag. If lifejackets were the inflating type they were also checking how recently they had been serviced.

Mr Jex said he was pleased safety messages seemed to be getting through. Everyone they spoke to knew about the requirement to carry lifejackets and most were using them, though it was the skipper's responsibility to decide when they should be worn.

"The last thing we want to do is pull bodies out of the water. It can happen very quickly, particularly in a small boat. All it takes is one rogue wave or a launch passing at speed, even at a distance, and your boat could be sinking before you have time to put a lifejacket on."

The only possible breach of maritime laws was at Houhora where a boat had 10 people on board. The skipper assured police it was a mates' fishing trip and not a charter, but the charter sign on back suggested otherwise.

Skippers operating paid charters need to have a commercial ticket and their boats have to pass safety checks.

Fishery officer Chris Spiers said a few commercial fishers had minor paperwork issues but not one had undersized or excess fish. At this time of year scallop beds were often abused but no breaches were found.

Another Auckland-based police boat will be based in the Bay of Islands during the Christmas holidays.

The Deodar III has a top speed of 30 knots. Its two Hamilton Jet 403 units are powered by MTU 1085hp engines. A small rigid inflatable in a hydraulic cradle at the rear of the vessel can be in the water within two minutes.

So far three Far North police officers - Rhys Dempster, Marco van den Broek and Trevor Proctor - have completed the training needed to crew the boat.