SunLive readers are reporting that a yacht has grounded in Waikorire, also known as Pilot Bay, on Monday afternoon.
"It's near the boat ramp in Pilot Bay," says a SunLive reader.
Low tide is at 5.33pm and high tide not until 11.44pm.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council were notified of the incident during the afternoon.
"The anchor dragged due to high winds," says a Bay of Plenty Regional Council spokesperson.
"The owner is aware and is planning to float the yacht at midnight."
With the evening chilling down and the wind coming up, it's a long wait while the tide turns and reaches the high tide mark again.
"I really appreciated the Tauranga harbour master turning up with three people and helping me," says the boat's owner who bought the yacht in August at Great Barrier Island.
"I brought the yacht down here to Tauranga to put it up on the hard stand before sailing back to Great Barrier Island."
On Sunday night he anchored in Pilot Bay alongside other yachts also due to sail back to Great Island .
"There was a strong wind last night, but our boats were okay."
On Monday morning he shifted the yacht near to the Pilot Bay jetty, so he could row ashore and catch the bus into town from the Adams Ave bus stop. He used an app to determine the best place to anchor.
"Windfinder told me there was a northwesterly when I anchored which meant the boat would have been sheltered by Mauao. And it was sheltered, and the water was calm. So the app was correct.
"I was away for about an hour and a half and then the harbour board rang me to tell me it was dragging its anchor due to the high winds. I said it shouldn't be as I'd parked it pretty close to the boat ramp. I got back by bus, and found it was beached. The Tauranga harbour master turned up soon after that with three people. I really appreciate them doing that."
The yacht near the Pilot Bay boat ramp. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford/SunLive.
Some Mount locals joined him at the boat ramp during the evening as he waited in the chilly wind for the tide to come in.
He says the yacht, which is 11.5 metres in length, and built in1990, has been around the world prior to him purchasing it.
"I want to sail it around New Zealand. I retired and this is my goal. And I do not want to be out in 35 knot gusty winds."
He uses apps to keep an eye on the weather. Growing up in Tauranga and attending Mount Primary School, he already has a naturally inbuilt astute sense of the weather patterns.
"I want reliable information. But I think it's dangerous to be given an app. I got caught out by one four to five weeks ago. The app said 15 km but there's a difference between 15km and 15 knots."
He has various apps on his phone to help keep track of weather, wind and tides, including Predict Wind, Windy, Wind Finder, AC Weather and Boating.
A local Mountie, on hearing that, suggested also Googling 'Harbour Conditions' as "the best one to use" and one of the more up-to-the-minute weather sites "because there is a weather station at the end of the wharf, one out at A buoy and two on top of the cranes at port.
The yacht's owner felt that "there's too many weather apps".
"All boaties need is to follow one app that is up-to-date all the time."
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council are monitoring the situation and supporting where needed.
"If the owner is not successful tonight, we will be helping him tomorrow at high tide," says a Bay of Plenty Regional Council spokesperson.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council say that the yacht grounding is not a maritime hazard.
"There is no oil leaking and no pollution concerns."
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