RESCUE AT SUMNER

Hokitika Guardian, 7 February 1928, Page 4

RESCUE AT SUMNER

prcxic party ("a psmen ox TMK PAR. CMIITSTCrn’IKTI. Fell. 0. With their yacht capsized and their picnic etjiiipment awash three young men and a young Italy presented a somewhat alarming sight, yesterday, wh.tt they were observed sttinding up to the knees surrounded hv acres of broken water <>ll the Sumner bar. The tide was just on the turn of the (low and they were swamped on the sand delta, cut oil' from the main land hv the north channel near the Xew Brighton Spit and by the deep channel that s-.vr-sp.: fro-ii ft- ’ river past Mussel 1f,.-!•: near the Cave. The alarm was sounded at about ten minutes to twelve and a full lifeboat crew made tor the scene of the aeei dent. They first rescued the human freight with its holiday equipment and then went hack for tile boat. It appears that the party were endeavouring to cross the bar when the centre plate stuck in the sand and the yacht heeled over and was soon swamped. The craft was owned by Mr H. Farr, who was one of the party, and is the well-known JTuin.

The bar this year is unusually shallow at low tide and fully two hundred yards from "dry’’ land. For this reason the predicament, of the four in the water looked ala ruling and for other reasons was not a pleasant experience to the victims.

Fortunately all the gear was saved intact and all their personal belongings. including a drenched gramophone was rescued from the deep.

This is the first rescue the volunteer lifeboat brigade has been called out for flu’s year.