Wellington's East by West (within the harbour) Ferry Ships Waves

by SailRaceWin

It is understood that early this morning the East by West harbour ferry in Wellington nose-dived into a large wave, which smashed through the front windows of the vessel. One person was knocked overboard, but has since been recovered by emergency services.

All 44 passengers were taken to the Worser Bay Boating Club located on the beach 100 metres from where the incident took place. Two people, believed to be the person who went overboard and the captain, were suffering from hypothermia, while others were also soaked through and had suffered cuts and bruising.

The vessel is down by the bow, having shipped 3 to 4 cubic metres of water, but not in any danger of sinking.

Winds were gusting up to 40 knots at the time of the incident, and have since risen to gusting 50 knots in the Wellington area.

East by West Ferry, Wellington