Feisty yachties tackle intruders

Martin Simmons has a broken wrist and sore ribs after surprising two men on his yacht at Whangarei.

Mr Simmons was hurt after he and his wife Sheryl Clothier confronted the two men they found on their 10m yacht Seabird, moored at Whangarei Town Basin marina.

Mr Simmons punched one of the men and put his knee on the throat of the other, while Ms Clothier tied the intruder's hands and feet with rope.

A maths teacher, Mr Simmons went on the attack when he and his wife found a man below deck who asked: "is this your fullah's boat"?

"There was a bit of a tussle and I smacked him around the head a few times," Mr Simmons said.

But then, another head popped up out of a hatch.

"I grabbed him by the head and dragged him out of the cockpit," he said. "Then I threw him onto the deck and held him down with my knee on his throat while my wife tied his hands and feet with a sail rope."

Neighbouring boaties heard the commotion and were quickly on the scene to help until police arrived.

The man Mr Simmons was holding was not happy.

"He was whining about how he couldn't breathe and said he was only on the boat looking for his mate."

Four police officers and a police dog arrived in "very short time".

Mr Simmons, suffering a fractured wrist and sore ribs, said later he had no regrets about his actions.

"My first instinct was 'this can't be true' but of course the reality quickly sunk in and I just reacted to protect my wife and my property.

"It's all very well to say we nabbed them but it's already cost me over $50 in medical expenses and bits of my boat are damaged. And there's a sheer feeling of invasion," he said.

"The boat felt dirty and they smelt. It smelt after they had been on board."

Whangarei police Sergeant Anaru Roberts said it was legitimate to use reasonable force in such circumstances.

"You are allowed to use reasonable force to restrict someone if they are in your house," he said.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)