Witnesses to a boat that capsized on the Tutukaka Coast in Northland yesterday had been keeping a close eye on the family as they paddled toward their mooring after worrying that a baby and another child were not wearing lifejackets.
The family of six used a kayak, canoe and paddle board to return to their Hartley 16 yacht moored about 60 metres from Kowharewa Bay, north of Ngunguru at about 4pm on Monday.
"All the bystanders when they launched were quite concerned that they didn't all have lifejackets. We were also quite concerned that their gear looked a bit old and huckery," witness Graham Crooks said.
The captain had only started the motor and travelled another 60 to 70 metres when they noticed from shore that the mast was slowly tipping over.
While it was hard to see exactly what happened from land, Crooks said they either hit a rock or the keel fell off the boat as they attempted to sail through the small passage between Philip Island and the mainland.