A man who fell out of his dinghy in the Far North this morning was fortunate a navy patrol vessel was in the area to come to his aid.
The man was about 500m offshore in Mangonui Harbour, north-east of Kaitaia, when he fell out of the boat at about 7.30am, Fire Service northern communications centre shift manager Paul Radden said.
He clung to the side of the dinghy and was able to call 111 from his cellphone, but could not get back on board.
He told the operator he could see a navy vessel nearby.
Fortunately, the operator was an ex-navy officer and knew the HMNZS Hawea was in the area for a training exercise.
