Fisherman's fatal swim from wrecked boat

By LOUISA CLEAVE

Drowned boatie Brett Barson and his fishing buddy Mike Smith sat on the bow of their sinking runabout for half an hour listening to boats motoring off home one after the other.

Mr Smith's 5m plywood boat Black Attack went down quickly off the west coast of Waiheke Island about 6pm on Sunday.

The 40-year-olds were on their way home, prompted by an ominous black cloud heading across the skyline, when water gushed up like a fountain through a hole in the hull.

There was barely room for the two men, both wearing lifejackets, on the bow poking out of the water.

When one of the men slipped into the cold Hauraki Gulf the other would reach out and drag him back up.

After half an hour on the bow, they decided to swim towards Owhanake Bay, on the island's west coast, and egged each other on as they took turns kicking and pulling the other through the chilly water.

"Mike said it was like jumping into a bath of ice water," said Mr Barson's mother, Greta Barson.

She spoke to Mr Smith yesterday after he left hospital still suffering the effects of hypothermia.

"He [Mr Smith ] said they would have turns kicking," said his brother, Alan Barson. "They would get tired and the other one would hang on. Brett said he was tired and just stopped kicking."

Ten minutes after Mr Barson stopped kicking Mr Smith caught the attention of a passing yacht by blowing the whistle on his lifejacket. The people on the yacht dragged them on board and alerted Coastguard, who tried unsuccessfully to revive Mr Barson.

Mrs Barson said Mr Smith did everything he could for her son, who lived for fishing. The sign hanging on his bedroom mirror read: "Fishing is not a matter of life and death. It is far more serious than that."

He took a family passion for fishing "to the extreme", and his favourite spot was Parengarenga Harbour, in the Far North.

Mr Barson had a small boat but had helped Mr Smith rebuild and paint Black Attack, and they often fished together.

They met 20 years ago and developed a strong friendship bonded by fishing, the Barson family said. "Mike tried everything he could, we know that."

Mr Barson, from Pakuranga, was a car painter and leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter, Stacey.

Police said the boat was well equipped but initial investigations have found rot in the hull.

Senior Sergeant Martin Paget, head of the Auckland police maritime unit, said part of the hull - "not a particularly large portion" - was missing and could have been washed away by a wave.

"Our concern is the boat is from an era when there were thousands built. The boat is probably somewhere between 20 and 40 years old.

"It's got to the age where there is significant risk of others being in this condition.

"I urge people who are using boats that are a bit older to check very carefully the condition of their boats, otherwise they run the risk of this kind of accident."

Mr Paget said Black Attack's appearance would indicate it was in good condition, and it had all the appropriate equipment.

The Maritime Safety Authority will investigate the accident.