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A Maritime New Zealand investigation is under way after three crew were rescued from a remote part of the Northland coast yesterday after deliberately beaching their fishing vessel.
The 13m Mana Rose hit rocks near the Cavalli Islands and began taking on water.
Skipper Damian Wyatt made a mayday call to the Rescue Coordination Centre at 2.45am, reporting he was going to ground the vessel before it sank.
The centre sent the Northland Emergency Services Trust helicopter, but chief pilot Pete Turnbull said they received word before they arrived that the boat had beached and the crew was unharmed. They were prepared to winch people to safety if needed.
The vessel was beached in Tokau Bay, near the Tokau River mouth, about 100m offshore.
Turnbull said the crew rowed themselves to the beach in a liferaft, and he then dropped them into Opua town to arrange for the vessel's salvage.
The pilot said the boat was on its way from Tauranga to Whangaroa Harbour at the time.
The Mana Rose's owner, Damian Wyatt, a commercial fisherman, said: "It's as straightforward as it can be... but until I find out what my obligations and rights are, I'm not offering any comment."
Rescue Coordination Centre spokesman Lindsay Sturt said Maritime NZ would launch an inquiry to ascertain what had happened once they had had an opportunity to interview those on board.
