‘The Press’ – Boat Trip an ‘Antidote to Life’ article
Published on Thursday, April 27th, 2006, under Media
The Press – April 27, 2006
Police are calling it foolish, but Cheviot man Ellis Emmett says his ill-fated trip across Cook Strait in his tiny boat is all part of an ‘adventurous antidote to everyday life’.
Ellis Emmett, 33, and Sander Verbiest, from the Netherlands, spent their Easter weekend attempting to sail a 3.5m dinghy with a sail from Waikanae, on the Kapiti Coast, to Gore Bay, near his home (over 300 km journey).
They made it as far as Tory Channel in the Marlborough Sounds, a journey of 100km, before conditions forced them to head for land.
They were blown over by strong winds and capsized in the channel, eventually being rescued by a passing charter boat.
Senior Constable Paul McKenzie, of the Picton police, described the vessel as a nightmare and said the men should have never have attempted such a journey.
However, Emmett said their Cook Strait crossing was just the latest in a series of adventures, and he tried to do something unique about once a month.
“I’ve done a lot more trips that are more dangerous or exciting. If you are climbing Everest, people pat you on the back and say, `Good on you’. We have had a lot of criticism over it. We never wanted to rely on any of the support networks out there,” he said.
“I understand where the police are coming from. Their job is to keep people safe and they don’t want to be wasting their time hauling idiots like us out of the water.”
McKenzie said the difference between climbing Mount Everest and sailing across Cook Strait in an inadequate vessel was that the climbers who failed did so knowing there was little chance anyone would try to rescue them.
Emmett said they had prepared well for the journey. They had flares and navigation lights and were wearing full diving suits.
He said they were deciding whether to swim for the cliff-lined shore 300m away, but then the charter boat operator arrived, picked them up and towed the vessel to safety.
He said the dinghy was not big enough for a liferaft, but it had been modified so it would not sink if it capsized.
“Some people might think that it was foolhardy, but there are actually very few things in this life that really matter and when you are out there scared and cold the last thing on your mind is the mortgage!
“It reminds you of what a beautiful place we have to live in and how good it is to be alive,” Emmett said.
– HUTCHISON, Dan –
