Injured boaties had only burning rope to cling to

Denys Burrowclough. Photo / Simon Clark

Two boaties clung to a burning anchor rope after an explosion broke the jaw of one and covered him with serious burns.

Coastguard veteran Denys Barrowclough, 84, and farmer Guy Bowman, 77, had to be saved from the water off Whangamata on Saturday when the engine on their fishing boat blew to pieces.

Mr Barrowclough is recovering at Waikato Hospital where he was flown to after the accident.

Mr Bowman said the explosion had immediately set the 10m boat on fire. Metal shards shot through the air, wounding Mr Barrowclough and burning Mr Bowman's arm. The two men reeled from the pain but instinctively dived off the deck.

"We exited the boat as quickly as we could. We had to. It was either that or it was being burned alive," Mr Bowman said. "It was frightening."

They swam to the front of the boat where they clung to the anchor rope - but the rope was on fire and did not take long to burn up.

Without lifejackets, the two men had to tread water before being pulled aboard a boat that had come to rescue them.

"Denys swam remarkably in a lot of pain, even with the wind blowing quite strongly," Mr Bowman said. "It's scary to think back on it now."

The incident was likely to be the end of their boating days, he said.

"I doubt if we'd ever go out again, no. Denys was just thinking that he was getting a bit old for boating."

It had been a big part of Mr Barrowclough's life. The pair have been boating together for more than 20 years.

"Denys used to have a farm not far from my place, and he retired to Whangamata and bought that boat 20-odd years ago. We've been going out fishing ever since," Mr Bowman said. Mr Barrowclough always kept his boat in immaculate order.

Mr Barrowclough's son Peter said medical staff at the hospital were very pleased with his father's recovery.

"He's had an operation for his broken jaw and had plates inserted. But he's come through that well and he's sitting up in bed and eating," Peter Barrowclough said.

"Given his age, I think you could say he's making great progress."