With no marine radio, no EPIRB locator beacon and no anchor, a 67-year-old man was lucky to escape a potentially disastrous situation yesterday when his boat broke down in Otago Harbour, Dunedin police say.
The boat was bound for Moeraki.
Emergency services were called about 1.15pm when the boatie used his cellphone to call a friend on shore, to say the boat's water pump had broken down and the vessel was floating in at Dowling Bay.
Dunedin Search and Rescue co-ordinator Sergeant Nathan White said police initially struggled to find the boat because it did not have a working locator beacon and they were told to look for a dinghy.
''We were looking for a dinghy for a start, which caused a couple of delays in locating him.''
The boat was actually 9m long and looked more like a fishing boat, but was not believed to be a commercial fishing vessel, he said.
The Port Otago pilot boat towed the vessel back to a mooring at Back Beach, Port Chalmers.
Sgt White believed the boat was poorly equipped for the open sea and was concerned at the potential consequences for the man if the boat had broken down outside Otago Harbour.
''It had a beacon, but it was faulty - it wasn't working - and he had lost his anchor. He had a marine radio, but it was on the blink.
''That concerns me. Some of those things are just basic boating equipment. Oars and an anchor are your emergency gear to get yourself out of a bit of a jam.
''We would recommend you check your safety equipment before you go out - such as your EPIRB [emergency position indicating radio beacon].
''They're no use if they're faulty. You're better off knowing they're faulty beforehand and taking steps to remedy it.''
Had the boat been outside Otago Harbour in open waters, it could have been a different story, he said.
''It was risky.''
