MO-1999-206

On Saturday, 8 May 1999, at about 1845, the passenger charter yacht "City of Dunedin" was on an overnight cruise from Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu when it grounded in Bob's Cove. During attempts to refloat the yacht, fire broke out in the engine housing. The skipper and 4 passengers on board were able to extinguish the fire before fire-fighters arrived by water taxi. There were no injuries.

"City of Dunedin" was approved to carry 19 passengers on day sails and 9 passengers on overnight cruises.

Safety issues identified included:

• the lack of a safety briefing for passengers before departure from the jetty
• lack of a compass to aid navigation
• allowing untrained and inexperienced passengers to take the helm unsupervised during a critical phase of the passage
• the continuation of a critical phase of the passage at a time when insufficient resources were available to do so
• incomplete investigation of an on-going engine exhaust problem.

Repairs and modifications were made to the yacht to eliminate specific safety issues. Safety recommendations were made to the owner of "City of Dunedin" to address operational safety issues.