Coastguard Raglan volunteers have been praised for their quick response after two dramatic marine rescues in the space of a week — incidents that could have ended in tragedy without the swift actions of emergency crews and the wider Raglan community.
In the latest rescue on Sunday 19 May, four people including a teenager were pulled from the water after their vessel failed to cross the Raglan bar. A fellow Coastguard volunteer spotted the boat attempting to cross just after 11am and alerted Coastguard Raglan at 11:21am, concerned it hadn’t made it safely.
Within minutes, jet skis Rylock Rescue One and Two were launched with four volunteers. By 11:43am, the group had located four people clinging to a floating chilly bin around 800 metres behind the bar. One jet ski transported the teenager back to Manu Bay for immediate medical attention, while rescue vessel Gallagher Rescue arrived soon after and brought the remaining three ashore, where they were assessed by Hato Hone St John.
“I truly believe that without the Raglan community and someone alerting us about this so quickly, they could still be out there, and we not know. It was that immediate call that made all the difference,” said Gallagher Rescue skipper Lee Poolton.
It is understood that only some of those rescued were wearing lifejackets and no Bar Watch or Trip Report had been logged with Coastguard.
Poolton said the Raglan bar can be dangerous to navigate, and the conditions were “atrocious” with an outgoing tide and a 2-metre swell.
“At this stage, the vessel has not been located and we suspect it may have sunk,” he said.
“The rest of the Coastguard Raglan crew did a stellar job and acted really quickly and efficiently throughout the rescue.”
Just three days earlier, on Thursday 16 May, Coastguard Raglan responded to another emergency involving two fishermen whose small inflatable dinghy became submerged near Whale Bay.
The pair had launched at 10:00am to set a long line off Whale Bay and Manu Bay. When they failed to return, a text message sent at 7:06pm to one of the men’s partners prompted a call to emergency services. Police alerted the Coastguard Operations Centre at 7:19pm, and by 8:05pm, jet skis Rylock Rescue One and Two and Gallagher Rescue had launched with a combined crew of 11 volunteers.
“Their vessel became submerged by the swells on their return trip and eventually washed up on the rocks,” said Coastguard Raglan President Wally Hawken.
At 8:34pm, volunteers spotted a faint light near the rocky shoreline west of Whale Bay — a remote and treacherous section of the coast. The men were found stranded on the rocks, cold and showing signs of hypothermia.
“A jetski volunteer swam a short distance to the rocky cliff to support the two men while crew onboard Gallagher Rescue prepared a dry bag of warm gear and supplies to throw ashore,” Hawken said.
“There was no way out around the rocks, and with the strengthening northeasterly winds and rising swell, we made the decision to request support from Westpac Rescue Helicopter.”
By 12:04am, both men were winched to safety and reunited with family. All volunteers returned to shore by 1:05am.
“They were two very lucky fishermen,” Hawken said.
“They were integral to the result by being able to get close to the rocks and for a volunteer to swim and assist the men. The swells would have been very challenging to do that with just our Gallagher Rescue vessel.”
Both incidents serve as important reminders to always wear a lifejacket, take two forms of waterproof communication, and ensure your vessel is fit for purpose.
Coastguard also urges boaties crossing a bar to log a Bar Crossing Trip Report via VHF radio or by calling *500. If a trip report isn’t closed within 15–30 minutes and Coastguard can’t get hold of you, they will initiate a search. It’s a step that could save your life.
