KEY POINTS:
Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) has welcomed the conviction of a Hawke's Bay man after his ill-equipped dinghy sank, drowning his passenger and friend near Clive in December 2005.
Sapo Muliipu, of Hastings, was yesterday found guilty by a jury in Napier District Court on a charge of operating the dinghy in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk, after it capsized near the Clive River mouth around midnight on December 17, 2005.
His friend Tafaofale Fitimase, 32, drowned.
The pair had been checking fishing nets when the dinghy began to take on water and was swept out to sea before sinking.
The dinghy had no life jackets or other safety equipment, and Mr Fitimase could not swim and had no boating experience.
Muliipu was aware his friend could not swim and was unfamiliar with boats, MNZ said.
"While our thoughts are with Mr Fitmase's family, the real tragedy of this situation -- and many others like it -- is that it could have been so easily avoided, had life jackets been provided and worn in the first place," said MNZ recreational boating manager Jim Lott, an experienced accident investigator.
He said the conviction was a stark reminder that anyone in charge of any pleasure boat, now matter how small, must provide adequate life jackets for all those on board.
In addition to carrying no flares, communication equipment, lifejackets or other basic safety gear, Mr Lott said Muliipu's decision to take his dinghy out at night in an area which was prone to fast currents and waves breaking over the river's sandbar was irresponsible.
"Even the simple act of carrying a cellphone in a sealed plastic bag can provide a means of calling for help in many areas if people get into difficulty."
Mr Lott said a lifejacket was still one of the most effective means of staying alive in the water, as even treading water quickly led to fatigue.
The human body rapidly lost heat in water temperatures such as those at the time of the accident (around 16degC), he said.
The conviction and MNZ comments come just days after another Hawke's Bay man, Ngati John Cornelius, was given up for dead after heading out in his small aluminium dinghy containing no equipment other than a set of oars.
Cornelius disappeared at 4am last Thursday after what police believe was a night of drinking.
Maritime New Zealand co-ordinated the search for him over a two-day period, covering about 3200 square kilometres of ocean.
Sentencing for Muliipu is due on July 2.
- NZPA
