Drug found in skipper's blood

Cannabis may have affected decisions made by a tuna boat skipper whose boat sank last August, killing him and a crewman, a Maritime Safety Authority report says.

The 18m Iron Maiden sank in heavy seas on August 16 southwest of Cape Reinga on the way to Raglan.

Mark Kenneth Scott, 25, from Helensville, and his cousin Gregory Reginald David Thirkettle, 24, from Cambridge, drowned.

Rescuers found the body of Mr Thirkettle, the skipper, floating with an emergency locator beacon attached. Mr Scott's body was never recovered.

An empty life raft was also found.

The MSA report released yesterday said several factors contributed to the tragedy. It said the boat was unstable and the pair were under-prepared to competently undertake the journey.

The investigator said it was likely the boat sank after a wooden hatch cover on the deck was damaged or destroyed.

Emergency services were alerted to the men's plight soon after 7pm when the Far North Coastguard received a distress call from the Iron Maiden saying it was taking on water fast and minutes away from sinking.

The report also questioned the boat's stability in gale-force winds and 4m swells, and the skipper's decision not to seek shelter.

A pathologist said the skipper's decision not to shelter from the storm may have been influenced by cannabis, which was found in his bloodstream and estimated to have been taken one to eight hours earlier.

A couple of people who came into contact with the pair before they left Mangonui advised them against sailing until the next day.

The report also said the life raft was difficult to access in an emergency and the boat's owner had not taken a proactive role in the safe management of the vessel.

MSA director Russell Kilvington said the authority would ensure the report's lessons were used to try to prevent the same thing happening again.

- NZPA