Skipper Mark Thomas was washed overboard. Photo / Greymouth Star
Skipper Mark Thomas was washed overboard. Photo / Greymouth Star
The survivor of a fishing vessel that foundered in stormy conditions off the South Island's West Coast- killing two - has spoken publicly for the first time about the moment he was swept to sea and his fears he'd be eaten by sharks.
Wendy J skipper Mark Thomas' miraculous survival tale comes amid revelations he came under Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) scrutiny after falsifying documents following a serious injury onboard the vessel in 2014.
Thomas' boat sunk in September during a fishing trip with crewmen Jay Cairney and Kieran Lynch. Cairney's body was found but Lynch's hasn't been recovered. Thomas has praised Lynch for trying to save his life.
"There was quite a bit going through my mind. It was sort of like, 'oh my god, is this how it's going to end?'," Thomas told the Herald on Sunday of the "hectic, least expected" situation.
The Greymouth men ran into trouble on September 14 en route to Smoothwater Bay to shelter from worsening winds. The Wendy J's engine failed and kept stalling despite attempts to revive it.
A northerly 25 knots blew the vessel onto rocks and it began tipping amid lightening and rain. The men were putting on lifejackets when Thomas was washed over the side.
Jay Cairney of Greymouth.
Fighting to stay afloat Thomas noticed a life ring next to him. He believes Lynch threw it.
"He was in danger himself and he threw me the life ring."
He never saw his crew again. Minutes later the boat rolled over and the lights went out.
"I thought I was dead," Thomas says. "I thought I'd drown or get crushed by the boat. I actually thought I was going to be eaten by a shark."
With the life ring and some drift wood Thomas kept himself afloat for nine hours before washing up near Teer Creek. He sheltered in flax and drank water from a creek while nursing cuts.
"Everything happened so quickly I had no time to put an emergency call out. I always thought I was going to be rescued, but I thought I might have been there for a long time," he said.
Two days later he was relieved to see rescuers, but unknown to him he had septicemia and was hospitalised for five days.
Thomas said the sinking was a tragic accident, and is confident a MNZ investigation will back him. He believes something was stuck in the propeller, causing the engine to fail.
Missing fisherman Kieran Lynch pictured with partner Jess Ford and baby Ava.
"It's been through my mind 100 times, what could I have done? The end result is the same- the answer is nothing," he said.
"Someone said, 'why didn't you drop the anchor?' It would have made no difference. (And) there was nothing wrong with the engine, it was brand new. If there was an issue I'll fix it, but this was out of my control.
"The most important thing to me was getting the crew off the boat. Lifejackets were the most important thing."
It's the third time Thomas has been investigated by MNZ after two previous crew lost fingers onboard. In the most serious incident, Greymouth man Chris Jones lost seven fingers while winching broken wire.
Although the MNZ investigation deemed it an accident, Jones' training documents became the subject of scrutiny after it transpired Thomas had an associate forge Jones' signature on them.
Thomas admitted to investigators the document was falsified, telling the Herald it was because he'd lost previous training documents signed by Jones, who couldn't sign new ones.
File photograph of the Greymouth fishing boat the Wendy J. Photo / Greymouth Star
Despite MNZ opting not to take action against Thomas aside from a warning, internal documents reveal the group's members considered the outcome "light".
Jones appealed to MNZ chief Keith Manch to prosecute and after reviewing the investigation compliance manager Harry Hawthorne opted to charge Thomas, who was convicted of falsifying information under the Maritime Transport Act and ordered to pay a $1000 fine.
Jones told the Herald he believed the incident would have been "swept under the carpet" if it weren't for his pleas and is angry Thomas wasn't charged for his injury.
"To be honest, my life is hard now. Not a day goes by I don't wish I still had fingers," he said.
Documents provided to the Herald show MNZ investigators noted the falsification was ironic given "the induction and training provided by Mr Thomas ... appears to have been reasonably thorough and appropriate".
Since the incident Thomas has been recuperating at home. He's expecting his second child with his partner in the New Year - but was struggling.
"I still have nightmares. I've worked my whole life and now I've lost everything. It was pretty hard. It still is. I shouldn't be here. I live in a small town and It's affected everybody I know."
A Maritime New Zealand spokesman said investigations into the Wendy J's sinking were continuing.
The Wendy J's sea worthiness had last been evaluated 10 months before the sinking, in December 2016, and no changes were necessary to the Certificate of Survey then.
