25 Oct 2016

Boaties urged to check vessels after thousands of calls

4:55 pm on 25 October 2016

Boaties are being urged to check their vessels are in tip-top shape, after thousands of calls to the coastguard over the long weekend.

The coastguard received 2240 calls from across the northern region - with Sunday by far the busiest day, with more than 1100 calls.

The coastguard attended 63 incidents, including the rescue of four people from a sinking 35-foot boat in the Hauraki Gulf on Sunday.

Spokesperson Georgie Smith said Labour Weekend usually marked the start of their busy summer season.

"The majority of incidents our coastguard volunteers were tasked to over the weekend were mechanical and electrical faults.

"This is where we really encourage people to take to the time to get their engines checked out and serviced before heading out, after their boats have been sitting around during winter."

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