Tag Archives: F/V Wendy J
Body found during search for missing Greymouth fishermen
A body has been recovered during the search for two missing fishermen on the West Coast. Police were yet to formally identify the body, found on Tuesday afternoon, but Bill Cairney confirmed it was his nephew, Jay Cairney. “Yes, they found Jay’s body – it’s very upsetting, very very hard,” he said. The Greymouth-based fishing boat Wendy J apparently lost power and sank in poor weather near Jackson Bay, South Westland on Thursday night. click here to read the story 22:37
Fishing Vessel Wendy J sinking survivor reveals chaotic scenes and wait for rescue
The skipper of the doomed Greymouth fishing boat the Wendy J has reported chaotic scenes on deck as the boat foundered in heavy seas as he and his crewmen scrambled for lifejackets. Mark Thomas was swept into the sea at Smoothwater Bay on Thursday night and “somehow grabbed hold of a life ring in the water”, he recalled to Westfleet general manager John Brown, after Thomas was plucked to safety on Saturday. Dressed only in shorts and a T-shirt, Thomas took shelter in a flax bush and drank from a nearby creek while he awaited rescuers, who did not arrive until more than a day after the sinking. He was found near the mouth of Teer Creek, about 8km south of the bay, a narrow and rocky cove around the corner from Jackson Bay. His two crewmen are still missing. click here to read the story 09:06
UPDATED: One Fisherman Survives, Two missing – Greymouth boat Wendy J sank on southern West Coast
The commercial fishing boat which sank on the rugged coast of South Westland ran aground on the rocky shore after becoming entangled in a rope. Two men are missing from the Greymouth-based Wendy J after it got into trouble near Jackson Bay on Thursday night. The alarm was raised yesterday morning after a light aircraft spotted wreckage and a life raft on the shore. A survivor, Mark Thomas, was found yesterday near Teer Creek, about 10km southwest around the bouldery coast from Smoothwater Bay, the area where it is the boat sank. Smoothwater Bay is a small cove whose entrance is marked by rocky outcrops. click here to read the story 23:35
West Coast search resumes for two fishermen missing after Wendy J sank – “An improvement in weather conditions has allowed a helicopter to start an aerial search and ground search teams are carrying out a shoreline search,” police said this afternoon. click here to read the story 11:26
