Liferaft drill pays off after launch hits whale

The Picton family are helped ashore. Picture / Dean Purcell

In nine days of boating off the Northland coast, the five children of the Picton family, aged from 4 years to 15, had been through up to four surprise lifejacket drills a day.

That training paid off yesterday.

The Auckland children woke after their family's luxury launch appeared to hit a whale about 7.30am off Cape Brett and their father, Valentine Picton, yelled, "Lifejackets."

Still in their pyjamas, the children raced from their bunks to the stern of the boat, assembled and were wearing lifejackets in a near-record time of about 40 seconds.

Mr Picton, a company director from Beachlands, said he put his family into a 4m inflatable dinghy after realising the 15m fibreglass launch was taking on water fast. He said that only moments before he had seen a whale when cruising about two nautical miles west of Cape Brett.

"It came up on the port side ... then breached ... I saw the large black back of it."

Mr Picton had tried to steer away but then felt the boat lift.

"I heard a thud and took off down the stairs."

He saw steam coming out of the stern. A large amount of water was already inside the boat.

"I decided to abandon ship."

Mr Picton shouted to the family and put out a mayday call. Once the family were in the dinghy, he climbed back on board to get an emergency beacon. By then the launch was on a 60-degree slant.

"I wanted to get the beacons and pretty quick, and grabbed my wife's bag on the way out. ... They were all screaming at me, but if I didn't get the beacons we'd be in trouble."

He was upset that the recently re-fitted but insured American Bluewater launch was lost, but said that was nothing compared with his family's safety.

Mr Picton, who has more than 30 years' boating experience, said he always drilled his children about lifejackets.

"Get the lifejackets on, that's the most important thing. That's what saved my family."

During their holiday, the children had got their assembly time down from 1 minute 30 seconds to just under 40 seconds. Although the sea in the Bay of Islands was calm yesterday, the boat sank in 10 minutes.

"I always prepare for the unexpected. We survived because we were ready."

A private boat was the first to reach the dinghy and took the family on board until the Coast Guard arrived and took them to Waitangi. No one was injured but the distraught children were crying and in shock.

Mr Picton, a 59-year-old diabetic, felt unwell and had to lie down in the Coast Guard vessel.

Senior Constable Wayne Mills, of Paihia, said it was a textbook rescue.

"He did an amazing job ... ensured all the family knew where the lifejackets were."

Mr Mills confirmed that whales passed through the area and there were no rocks that the boat could have hit.

The Northland Regional Council yesterday monitored the area for oil as the boat was carrying 1600 litres of fuel.

Council spokesman Ian Niblock said an oil sheen was spotted but dissipated when the wind picked up. It was thought the wreck was in deep water, about 75m down, and it seemed the diesel was still on board.

"So it remains a potential oil spill ... we are concerned. It is a relatively light fuel but very toxic to the marine environment."

Auckland University whale expert Professor Scott Baker said whale and boat collisions were unusual but not unheard of. If the boat lifted up, it could have hit the whale side on.

"It is possible the whale was sleeping."