Fire, Flooding, and Abandoning Ship: A First-Hand Account

What happened?

What began as a relaxed coastal trip from Wellington to Auckland, stopping at ports and enjoying some of New Zealand’s most iconic waters, took a dramatic turn on October 17th. We had left Gisborne Marina under brilliant sunshine with the sea becoming calm and glassy as we neared Tauranga. Conditions couldn’t have been more ideal: no swell, light breeze, and the steady hum of the engines carrying us north.

At 2:15 p.m., without warning, an unfamiliar alarm pierced the quiet rhythm of the passage. All eyes snapped to the multifunction displays, but no error messages appeared. Everything looked normal, except the starboard engine which had suddenly begun revving higher than the port. Something was definitely wrong.

We eased back on the throttles, hoping to buy ourselves time to diagnose the issue. Moments later, we noticed the boat sitting lower in the water than it should, the bathing platform was nearly kissing the surface. Whatever was happening, it was escalating fast.

We immediately radioed the Coastguard with a PAN PAN, advising them of the situation. As one of the crew opened the engine room hatch to investigate, a wave of black, acrid smoke rolled out. The entire compartment was charred and darkened, clear evidence that a fire had broken out. It appeared the automatic fire suppression system had already discharged. More alarmingly, seawater was pouring in somewhere. The engine room was flooded all the way up to the engine blocks.

We weren’t sure if the automatic bilge pumps had failed or were simply overwhelmed, so the crew grabbed the manual pump and began working furiously. But with each passing minute, the boat settled lower. It was becoming clear this was no longer a situation we could control.

The call was upgraded to a Mayday. We quickly deployed the life raft and prepared the grab bag. The EPIRB and PLB were activated, their lights blinking steadily, a small but powerful reassurance in a chaotic moment. When we pushed into the master cabin to collect essentials, the extent of the flooding became unmistakable. Personal belongings floated freely, drifting around like debris in a tide pool. By the far end of the cabin, water was already up to our knees.

Realizing the vessel was now beyond saving, we made the decision no skipper ever wants to make. At approximately 2:40 p.m., we abandoned ship.

Words of wisdom

In a nearly new boat, in calm conditions, you don’t expect to need your safety equipment. But if an emergency arises unexpectedly, you will be thankful that you had the best equipment, and know how to use it.

Thank you note to the Ocean Signal team

12NM offshore our handheld VHF’s could not communicate with land. After signing off on the ship VHF and getting on our life raft we were thankful to have the AIS EPIRB to assist in our rescue.