Favour repaid twice, 45 years on

A Queenstown carpenter who helped a jetboat company 45 years ago has had the favour twice repaid over the past nine months after his yacht nearly sank, twice.

In 1978, David Spence was working a bulldozer by the Shotover Rover while quarrying stone to build his dad’s house.

‘‘These two guys came walking up from KJet [then known as Kawarau Jet] and said, ‘you own that dozer?’

‘‘They were high and dry in a sandbar, so I pulled them back into the water and then they said, ‘what do we owe you?’

‘‘I said, ‘don’t worry about it, mate’.’’

Cue last September, and Spence’s 8m yacht, Babadoo, had all but sunk on its mooring near the Frankton marina.

‘‘I hadn’t locked the forward hatch, and a storm flipped it up and it filled up with water.’’

Among various companies and individuals who came to the rescue was, you guessed it, KJet.

Then, back in February, Spence’s yacht almost sank again because its exhaust pipe was broken, which he didn’t realise, and it took on more water than the bilge pump could handle.

Again, KJet staff were on hand to tow the boat onshore.

Spence says he saw KJet owner Shaun Kelly after one of the near-sinkings.

‘‘He said, ‘are you Jack’s son?’

Spence says Kelly had heard about the ’78 grounding and told his staff, ‘give him what he wants’.

He adds he’s indebted to all the parties who helped him out each time.

‘‘I personally think there is still a local community in the Wakatipu.’’