MO-2006-203

On Wednesday 19 April 2006 at about 0005, the fishing boat "Venture" grounded on the beach at the base of a small cliff just to the north of Tipi Bay in Tory Channel while on passage from Picton to Oamaru. After checking the watertight integrity of the boat, the skipper attempted to re-float the boat but was unsuccessful. As the boat was in no immediate danger and the crew had suffered no injuries, the skipper decided to wait until daylight before summoning assistance. The crew of a passing ferry noticed the boat aground and reported the incident to Picton harbour radio.

At about 0700 the skipper contacted a local towage contractor and arranged for tug assistance. The tug Tuahine arrived on site at about 0935 and the Venture was re-floated without incident at about 1150. The Venture returned to Picton for a damage survey by a diver. No damage was found and the boat resumed its passage to Oamaru at about 1530 that afternoon.

Safety issues identified included:

• the undertaking of navigational watchkeeping and helmsman tasks whilst impaired by the effects of fatigue

• the lack of a watchkeeping monitor alarm for a single-handed wheelhouse operation.

Safety recommendations were made to the Managing Director of Adventure Fishing Company Limited and to the Director of Maritime New Zealand to address these issues.