A pair of boaties were found in the Tasman Sea, south west of Raglan, clinging to the hull of their upturned vessel, while a third crew member was rescued floating nearby. The boat was a 7m hard-top and the men had been fishing. An emergency beacon on the boat was detected at 5.45pm. Raglan Coastguard and a Westpac Rescue helicopter from Auckland were called to assist the trio.
Coastguard spokeswoman Georgie Smith said, “Raglan Coastguard had come across the two men clinging to the overturned boat first, then managed to find the third person floating, without a lifejacket, nearby.”
All three were taken to Raglan Wharf by the Coastguard and were checked by ambulance staff.
Wally Hawken from Raglan Coastguard said, “Their families picked them up from the wharf in Raglan and then home they went.”
The two men found clinging to the hull were in a moderate condition, while the third man was in a more serious, but not critical, condition.