On Monday 2 May 2005 shortly after 1911, the ferry "Santa Regina" outbound from Picton collided with the inbound private launch "Timeless" in the vicinity of Picton Point, Queen Charlotte Sound. The ship had a Master, 31 crew and 71 passengers on board and the Timeless had 2 persons on board.
The bow of the ship struck the starboard side of the launch abaft mid-length, cutting the smaller boat in two. One person on the launch managed to escape from the cabin and climb onto a piece of wreckage to await rescue. The body of the other person on the launch was found about 30 minutes later.
Safety issues identified during the investigation included:
• adherence to the collision regulations
• adherence to the local bylaws
• bridge resource management and the ergonomics of the bridge of the Santa Regina.
Safety recommendations were made to the Director of Maritime New Zealand and the Managing Director of Strait Shipping Limited to address these issues.
