ROTOITI On Patrol: 2
By SLT Alexander Daprini RNZN
ROTOITI ended 2009 with a successful patrol working in conjunction with the Ministry of Fisheries (MFish) and the New Zealand Customs Service (NZCS). We had sailed from Devonport in late October and our first task was to stand in for HMNZS CANTERBURY (at the time on disaster relief ops in Samoa) for the opening of Timaru’s new war memorial. Our passage south was into very rough seas; the hands were piped down, and except for watch keeping, most spent the 36 hour passage in their pits.
At the ceremony in Timaru our ship’s company led the combined Services’ parade, and the CO, LT Hogg, had the honour of opening one of the sections of the memorial, alongside the Chief of Army.
We sailed from Timaru for Lyttelton with a number of RNZNVR sea riders from HMNZS PEGASUS embarked—it was an excellent opportunity for them. While in Lyttelton we attended the Seafarers service at Christchurch Cathedral.
Two MFish officers were embarked for our patrol up the east coast of the South Island, spending the majority of the time in the Marlborough Sounds. After a successful week of boarding operations, ROTOITI returned for a weekend to Lyttelton. This coincided with Christchurch’s big race day, and many of us spent the day at one of the city’s best annual events.
We sailed for Wellington where another two MFish Officers came aboard by boat, before our ship made its way north to New Plymouth, patrolling and conducting boarding operations on the way. A highlight in New Plymouth was ‘Sundowners’ held on board, when our Wardroom was presented with a painting of the original ROTOITI by an ex-Sailor who had served in her.
From New Plymouth our patrol took us north to Cape Rienga to support Customs. Using information received, we intercepted yachts coming down to NZ from Fiji, Tonga or New Caledonia. Those activities eventually took us into the Bay of Islands, where we held a sporties afternoon: swimming, fishing and diving. The next day, 27 November, ROTOITI sailed for DNB in company with HMNZS ENDEAVOUR, conducting screenplay overnight before a formation entry with ENDEAVOUR and HMNZS MANAWANUI.
Since that patrol, we undertook some harbour and sea training just before Christmas. Now we are in a docking and maintenance period and we will be back on operations during March.
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