No more warnings say Mangawhai harbour wardens

 

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Zero tolerance for rule-breakers over the holiday period is the message from Mangawhai Harbour Wardens Trevor Downey and Francie Crawford.

After many years of watching boaties continually break the rules in the estuary, the two wardens, who are part of the Northern Regional Council’s maritime team, have had enough.

“We’ve given out enough warnings over the years, but there’s a hard core who just won’t listen,“ said Mr Downey who spends every day protecting boaties from law-breakers over the extremely busy holiday period, which usually extends from December 25 until January 11.

So this holiday period there will be no more “warnings”. Law-breakers will be issued with infringement notices with a $200 fine that must be paid to the Northland Regional Council.

Last year the harbour warden team issued only nine infringement notices, but dozens of warnings.

“It’s a very busy harbour now and we just can’t afford to have people breaking the rules, and putting people’s lives in danger,” said Mr Downey. Mr Downey said that compared to the hundreds of people who used the harbour, there were only a small number of people who regularly broke the rules, which include: • Complying with speed signs - 5 knots (walking speed) in designated areas.

• Being aware of the mari-time regulations regard-ing passing another boat. • Speed restrictions within 50 metres of another boat or a person in the water. • Anyone in charge of a boat travelling more than 10 knots needs to be 15 years or older.

• The 3-person water-ski rule; one water skier, one driving the boat and one observer. • The boat owner must carry enough lifejackets for those on board the ves-sel.

• Boaties must not exceed 5 knots within 200 metres of the shoreline, which restricts speed in the Upper Estuary.

He said there were also other common sense rules that should be followed:

• Although the wearing of lifejackets was not compulsory in the Mangawhai

Harbour, the boatie in charge should insist on lifejackets being worn.

• Boat owners should always carry two forms of communication, in case one became inoperative.

• One person should always remain with a vessel when launching or retrieving their boat at boat ramps.

• Everyone should show courtesy to other boaties at boat ramps.

This year the local team will be assisted during the holiday season by the Northern Regional Council Harbour Master’s vessel, the 5.5 metre Tai Ao. That vessel can cruise the estuary and detect more infringing than the two local wardens are able to observe.

Trevor Downey and Francie Crawford are easy to spot as they wear distinctive blue shirts with a Northern Regional Council logo.

The most common infringements resulted from jet skiers who failed to ob-serve speed restrictions, and boats towing “sea biscuits” that also sped excessively in restricted areas.

“I don’t think people realize the injuries that can be caused from hitting the water at high speed; it can be like hitting a brick wall,” he said.

For several years now the wardens have attempt-ed to apprehend a jet-ski-er who fragrantly abuses speed rules, causing danger to other boaties.

“He likes to make obscene gestures at us when we get close. But I know who he is now and this year we’ll be watching out for him, and we’ll catch him,” said Mr Downey.

Last year Mr Downey reported an “idiot jet-skier” who drove away in a company vehicle to the skier’s employer. As a result the employee lost his company vehicle.

As well as excessive speed, the boat ramp is also a source of friction during the holiday period. “I’ve seen a lot of impatient people at the boat ramp,” he said.

“They run over the fishing lines of children fishing at the ramp because they have no patience,” he says.

With hundreds of boats launched from the ramp every day over the holiday period, Mr Downey advises boaties to either get to the ramp early in the morning, or take their boat trailer home and then bring it back to the ramp for retrieval.

“We get a bit of abuse from visitors, not locals, at the boat ramp. But that’s part of the job,” says Mr Downey.

One important role for the wardens is to assess the safety of crossing the bar at the mouth of the Mangawhai Estuary.

If the wardens believe the bar is unsafe to cross, a sign will be posted at the boat ramp.

“We can’t stop people crossing the bar of course, but can merely give advice,” he said.

Boaties also can ring the harbour wardens if they have any doubt about its crossing.

“The best way for someone to check the bar is to go down to the surf beach and look at the conditions,” he said.

Mr Downey said that it generally was the locals who took more risks than visitors and got into trouble crossing the bar in dangerous conditions.

By Peter Nicholas

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