Coastguard volunteers kept busy in Northland over night

Coastguard volunteers readily exchange the comfort of home to head out in the wet and cold and help those in need out on the water, last night was no different with two medical situations unfolding in Northland shortly before midnight.

At 2327 hours last night Coastguard’s Operations Centre was contacted by Ambulance requesting assistance with a medivac on a 40ft fishing trawler in Bream Bay. HELIMED 3 had been able to winch a paramedic on-board but were unable to retrieve the paramedic and patient.

The fishing vessel was making slow speed towards Marsden Cove but the paramedic was concerned that the patient needed hospitalisation sooner than the expected arrival time for the vessel in port.

Coastguard volunteers from Whanagrei were paged and on the water shortly after midnight with Circa Rescue arriving on scene with the vessel as they entered the harbour at 0025 hours this morning. Circa Rescue shadowed the trawler to its mooring at Urquharts Bay and then took the paramedic and patient on board and transferred them to a waiting ambulance at Marsden Cover Marina. Coastguard volunteers returned to their station at Kissing Point in the Town Basin around 0200 hours.

At 2349 hours Police notified Coastguard’s Operations Centre of a 28ft yacht near Russell with mechanics issues, and a possible injury to 1 of the 3 people on board. Communications with the vessel were challenging via mobile phone with poor reception and low battery. Text messaging being used to save battery.

Following a number of questions it was agreed that they were outside the Bay of Islands and making no more than 3 knots under sail. The skipper had injured his knee and one of the crew was suffering from seasickness. Bay Rescue II departed Doves Bay shortly after 0100 hours and located the vessel 4NM NE of Ninepin Island.

Two of the people on board were transferred to the comfort of the Coastguard Rescue Vessel whilst the injured skipper was made comfortable on his yacht and the vessel barged to Waitangi over the next two hours at low speed to reduce the impact on the injured knee. An ambulance met the crew at Waitangi Wharf as the man’s condition had deteriorated slightly. Having handed him safely over to the ambulance crew the Coastguard volunteers made their way back to Doves Bay and closed about 0530 hours this morning.

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