An inquiry involving maritime authorities and the Coastguard was scheduled for later today but it will now be handled by an internal investigation conducted by the Coastguard themselves.
Greymouth surfer Steve Newby was at Cobden beach when he witnessed the whole drama unfold as the rescue vessel tried to re-enter the Grey River after a training exercise at sea.
"It was a heavy sea and they attempted to come over the bar when a large set came in behind them, they were caught by a large one and broached and the next [wave] caught him and they went right over on their side, but because it is self-righting it didn't go down and they got out."
A veteran surfer of 54 years, Mr Newby knows the Grey River bar conditions well.
"It's just stupidity. They need someone who knows how to read the sets. Lives were in danger — you come in behind the set, not in front.
"They would have all got slammed into one side — it would have been like a car crash.
"That rescue boat can do 20 knots so they can get in between waves, whereas a fishing boat cannot — it's a completely different thing.
"The rescuers needed rescuing."
The Greymouth Star understands the waves struck on the outer bar, hitting the stern at an angle and knocking out both engines.
A mayday call was issued via the radio and the crew considered abandoning ship at one point.
After regathering themselves, the starboard engine was able to be restarted and the crew sought shelter at Rapahoe but found the swells were too rough there as well. They instead continued on to Westport, 100km away.
A crewman's condition deteriorated to the point he had to be winched off the vessel by helicopter. A second person was said by police to have been picked up by a fishing boat.
The Ivan Talley II remains berthed in Westport today, one engine "full of saltwater".
Coastguard have not responded to queries by the Greymouth Star — acting on concerns expressed by the local fishing fleet — as to contingency plans in case of emergency.
In November, Maritime NZ said the Ivan Talley had the required Certificate of Survey, issued in May 2020 and it was due to expire in 2025.
"As part of the audit, we also checked skippers qualifications and can confirm that the unit has skippers available with the correct qualifications."
Coastguard is manned by 1963 volunteers around New Zealand, and in a 12-month period conducted over 3200 operations that brought more than 7900 people home to safety.
- Meg Fulford
