Customs vessel in the right place at the right time

Two lucky fishermen who were left clinging to a chilly bin after their dinghy capsized were rescued by the New Zealand Customs vessel Hawk yesterday evening.

The Customs vessel Hawk was carrying out a patrol of the area at the time.

Officers onboard located an upturned dinghy yesterday at around 3.30 pm and proceeded to tow it to shallow waters to allow further investigation. It appeared that people had been aboard the dinghy, and officers liaised with the Police to notify the Coastguard.

Hawk received confirmation from the Coastguard that two males aged 57 and 71 years of age were missing.

The Coastguard deployed a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat and an aircraft to begin searching for the men along with the Customs vessel.

After determining the fishermen's probable line of drift from where the dinghy was located, officers onboard the Hawk found the men at 7.30 pm near the Cavalli Islands, off the east coast of Northland, clinging to a chilly bin. They were not wearing lifejackets.

A Customs spokesperson said we were very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to rescue the men.

"They had been in the water for several hours and were both hypothermic," she said.

"Safety is paramount when you're out at sea. It's important to observe the changing conditions and to wear your lifejacket."

The Hawk headed back towards shore with the two fishermen and was met on the way by the Westpac Rescue helicopter which winched them off the vessel.

The men were taken to a medical facility for treatment.

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