John Mellars is rescued during Cyclone Gabrielle on February 14 2023. Photo / supplied.
John Mellars is rescued during Cyclone Gabrielle on February 14 2023. Photo / supplied.
The four Royal New Zealand Navy personnel who rescued a stricken yachtsman during Cyclone Gabrielle have been recognised by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).
The coxswain of HMNZS Te Mana’s rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), Petty Officer Leon Reilly, has earned the Defence Meritorious Service Medal (DMSM).
Divers Petty Officer Te Pumautanga Campbell, Leading Diver Israel Davis and Able Seaman Ashlea Farrar, who was the bowman, were awarded Chief of Defence Force Commendations for their part in the rescue.
On February 14, the HMNZS frigate was called on to help with the rescue of a solo yachtsman east of Great Barrier Island when the rough conditions prevented the Northland Rescue Helicopter from carrying out the rescue utilising their rescue winch.
Te Mana approached the yacht which was taking on water in five- to six-metre swells and 40-knot winds.
Reilly was summoned to Te Mana’s bridge after a discussion between the captain and the Northland Rescue Helicopter, which resulted in a request for Te Mana to undertake the rescue as conditions were too dangerous for the helicopter. The captain asked him if he was happy to coxswain the RHIB.
John Mellars survived being swept out to sea during Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / supplied.
Reilly said he had never encountered sea conditions like that in a RHIB before.
“The sea was like a washing machine,” he said, “There was no consistency in the waves, they were all over the place.”
“The sea spray was probably the hardest part of it because you can’t breathe as soon as the water hits your face and mouth.”
Piloting the RHIB to the yacht was also a test, with Reilly sometimes having to take direction from the rescue helicopter as he couldn’t see where the yacht was at times.
“It felt like a game of forceback. You’d gain ground but then some waves were too big. At times I had the boat under full power but it was still going backwards.”
Reilly was trying to safely get the RHIB in close to the yacht when the crew realised the yachtie was in the water and they were able to pull him aboard.
Navy personnel rescued John Mellars during Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / supplied
The trip back to Te Mana was no easier and the waves meant the RHIB was airborne at times.
Reilly, 34, from Rotorua, who enlisted in 2006 and was named Sailor of the Year in 2014, said he was grateful and proud to be awarded the DMSM.
At the time, his partner Steph was five months pregnant with their first child, River Jay Reilly.
He put thoughts of his own safety and family to one side.
“I didn’t think about the risks, if things were to go wrong I was responsible for the boat and its crew once we left the ship. I used that huge responsibility to drive me to get us all back on board Te Mana safely. It wasn’t until afterwards that I started dwelling on what might have happened to me or my crew.”
Reilly said the Navy’s continuous training paid dividends during the rescue.
