Three rescued from burning yacht

[seafox]

Three rescued from burning yacht - 24 Jan 2007 - National

[GordMay]

11:25AM Update - Wednesday January 24, 2007

”Billionaire businessman Graeme Hart rescued three people from a boat which was on fire and sinking off Waiheke Island early today …
… he took his own boat and rescued the three people and the dog and took them to another wharf where emergency services picked them up …”
NZ Herald story: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10420601

[cat man do]

Glad they got off relatively OK, and good to see yet another person with seemingly low education making a go of it.

Hart famously began his business empire after dropping out of Mount Roskill Grammar aged 16 and working as tow-truck driver and panel-beater

And now worth between 3 and 4 Billion.

nice

Dave

[Vasco]

Dave,

Are you trying to turn this into another "Chinese Products" thread?

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Dave,

Are you trying to turn this into another "Chinese Products" thread?

Not at all, just an observation.

Dave

[northerncat]

cool i grew up on waiheke island and lived there 9 yrs before moving to aus, a few familiar names there
sean

[northerncat]

great place for cruising the hauraki gulf
sean

[seafox]

I wonder if Hart was from an immigrant family.........(<<<puts hands over ears and wait for explosion>>>)

[Pblais]

Flames burnt the vessel to the its waterline and it sank when the fire was extinguished.

Should have let it burn I think. Might have saved some water line. Seems rather silly to put out a fire so the boat could sink. Has to be some NZ burning boat thing.

[Alan Wheeler]

It's the only practice the fire boys get. They play "putting out the fire" then leave the mess for someone else to clean up. I have nver understood why they bother putting out a house fire when the home is a write off. As long as there is no danger to anything else, my view would be let it burn. Ashes are easier to get rid of than burn't timber and associated mess.

[seafox]

It very rarely is safe to let it burn. Other houses are always nearby and fences, outbuildings, trees etc can catch alight. Even after a house fire has been extinguished the fire bridgade have to spend some time there to keep dampning the hot spots. All is needed is a good wind and if they left the house to burn half the street could go up. The wind can re ignite the hotspots and start the fire if they leave that. Also it is easier to establish the cause of a fire and where it started(arson or insurance liability) if the fire is put out.

[S/V Elusive]

Not to mention that the residents might like a go at finding what is left of their life in the house. I would think maybe it would apply to a boat too. No telling what might make it through ... sometimes its just a little thing that might mean a lot.

[Amgine]

like the gas line utility.

But I'd really like to know what a panel-beater is?

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Amgine

.

But I'd really like to know what a panel-beater is?

I'll translate, it's a body man like in an auto body shop.

[dory36]

They were really lucky.

While making coffee one day a few years ago, shortly before sunup, I was looking right at a motorsailor anchored just a few boat-lengths away from me when it burst into flames. The entire boat was engulfed, with the flames extending 15-20 feet into the air. There would have been no chance of survival for anyone aboard, I suspect, except that the single-hander was in the cockpit when it exploded, and was blown overboard.

(I didn't need to have that first cup of coffee to wake up that morning!)

Remarkably, the fire boat responded to my Mayday and was on the scene within about 10 minutes, but it was over an hour before the flames were out.

Before and after:


After: