Abandoned launch gone to bottom, says owner

By WAYNE THOMPSON

The owner of the historic launch Ruamano, abandoned 100 miles off New Zealand on New Year's Day, believes the vessel has sunk.

But no one knows for sure what has become of the 13m kauri launch, worth about $150,000, which was left with its motor running when the five crew members leapt to the safety of a Korean log carrier in heavy swells.

The New Laurel continued on its way to South Korea, leaving the empty and undamaged 75-year-old Ruamano with its engine in gear and heading slowly west with 50 hours' fuel on board.

An air search covering 260 sq km of sea and reaching out to 150 miles, mounted by the family of its owner, Sefton Powrie, later on New Year's Day, drew a blank.

Experienced sailors have speculated on just where the Ruamano, built in 1925, could end up.



The search coordinator, marine surveyor Captain Mike Austin, said that if the vessel was not lost, it could end up "anywhere from Ninety Mile Beach down to Cape Egmont."

There were three possible fates for the Ruamano, he said.

She could be running, Mary Celeste-like, out of the immediate area; strong winds and swells could have brought her into the New Zealand coast somewhere; or she has sunk.

The director of the Maritime Safety Authority, Russell Kilvington, said the more time that passed without a sighting, the more likely it was that the vessel had sunk.

A warning is in place alerting other vessels to the possibility that the boat is drifting.

Mr Powrie confirmed yesterday that the launch's radio locator beacon was not switched on and therefore would not automatically activate when the vessel sank.

He said that he was extremely upset at the loss of what he described as his "special boat" and defended his decision to abandon ship.

"The swells were very close together and very steep ... one behind the other within the length of the boat is a serious situation."

He said he was convinced the boat had sunk.

Under the law of the sea, if the Ruamano is afloat, her finders can take her to shore and negotiate for a fair reward from the owner or insurer based on the cost of recovery.

But any salvage attempts are unlikely until the vessel is spotted from the air - because of the large potential search area and the difficulty in finding a small boat in big seas.

Mr Powrie, who has 20 years' experience sailing yachts, said he had encountered worse conditions than those thrown up by the Tasman Sea on New Year's Eve.

"But in a launch, these conditions were extremely dangerous."

Their voyage, which began from Auckland on Boxing Day, aimed to repeat the circumnavigation of New Zealand decades earlier by the Ruamano and raise money for the Heart Foundation.

Meanwhile, the Ruamano's crew - skipper Sefton Powrie, former medical director of the Heart Foundation Boyd Swinburn, Stephen Blackwell, Malcolm Reynolds and John Green - have had to stay on board the New Laurel, as it was unable to divert from its course.

The crew are said to be treating the New Zealanders well and have given them a change of clothing.

But there is little to do on board the log carrier except read the few British newspapers available and watch videos - many of them the crew's golfing videos - or teach the crew bridge, since several members of the Ruamano are excellent players.

Mr Powrie said European food had been provided at first, but the New Zealanders said they would prefer Korean meals - "and they are delicious."

Herald Online Marine News