Boat-Rage Video Man Regrets ‘Losing His Rag’ To Tairua Deputy Director

A man filmed ramming another ship in a dramatic ship rage incident off Tairua regrets having “lost his rag” during a heated confrontation with another ship.

The Herald may also reveal that the man was admitted to hospital after the incident for health reasons.

Described as “personable” and “smiling” by a friend, he has now spoken to police about the altercation.

Video of the incident, which occurred the weekend before last, has gone viral, and police and Maritime New Zealand are now investigating the altercation.

Police say they have yet to press charges.

The video shows an enraged man on an inflatable outboard ramming an aluminum tow boat onto a Tairua boat ramp while yelling obscenities.

In the moments after the man rammed the boat, its inflatable begins to deflate.

The woman aboard the other ship, Tairua School Assistant Principal Catherine Browning, heads toward the man brandishing an oar. Children in the boat can be heard crying in the background.

Browning is now facing a labor action due to the crash.

Tairua-Pauanui ferry operator Rob Glasgow told the Herald that he had known the man, who lives aboard a 14.3-meter yacht, for about six years and said he had “very good control.”

“He’s a really nice and personable guy, mostly smiling. It’s very rare to see him in a bad mood, but obviously this day he really lost his rag.

“I’m sure he has a bad temper and we saw him the other day, but it’s not normal at all. They definitely pushed him to the end.”

Glasgow said the man and his partner were aboard their yacht when, awakening from another ship, they pulled their boat out of the water. His hull crashed into the inflatable, causing damage to his smaller ship.

“He made a hole in the boat.”

Glasgow said that, like many boat owners in the area, the man had endured years of trouble with high-speed boats whose skippers often ignored the 5-knot limit.

He estimated that the man had made about 50 complaints in recent years to the Waikato Regional Council and the harbor master, but claimed nothing had been done.

The dangerous speeds were “irresponsible,” Glasgow said.

“It’s like running a car down a suburban street with kids and only stopping when you hear the bang. It’s not acceptable.”

Glasgow spoke to the man shortly after the incident.

“He wasn’t happy about the whole thing, he shouldn’t have lost his temper and he shouldn’t have crossed the line.”

The man had also spoken to the police last week.

Glasgow said police told the man it was unlikely he would be charged for the altercation.

“He said, ‘What about the assault on me with the oar?’ They said, ‘His assault with the boat was much worse and much more culpable under the law.’

And while the incident didn’t look good, a silver lining was a noticeable decrease in speed for Tairua’s boats, Glasgow said.

“It is definitely modified behavior.”

Waikato Regional Council Harbor Master Richard Barnett said more maritime officers had been deployed to the water this summer.

More than 730 ships had been detained throughout the region and enforcement action had been taken against more than 60 captains.

While most of the boatmen had been good, Barnett encouraged the public to report any misbehavior.

The Tairua incident appeared to be isolated, he said.

“Our approach has been to make sure people are complying with the rules – while that includes wearing life jackets, we’ve also tried to make sure boats are obeying speed restrictions where applicable.”

Browning and the school could not be reached for comment.