Graeme Butler Swim With Dolphins skipper

Things that go bump in the night. Who would ever have thought that a huge container vessel like the Rena could ever hit Astrolabe Reef.

There was probably statistically more chance that a ship such as Rena would collide with the harbour bridge or explode, or sink alongside than to ever become stuck fast on the smallest bit of land to poke out of the ocean more than a mile off the coast anywhere.

I will probably get a kick for this, but I am coming out in support of the way in which this disaster has been handled.

I don't buy into the delay perception that, once emanated from various non experts, has been fostered by some pretty disingenuous politicians. I don't buy into the delay perception because I have some experience with ships, in as much as I have sailed on cargo vessels some 40,000 nautical miles to many different parts of the world.

I know that even in perfect conditions at Balbo and Cristobel where I have been aboard ships that bunkered (took on fuel oil). The bunkering process was long, even when all systems ran perfectly, both ships, the one taking on the fuel and the one delivering it, were on an even keel and the oil was travelling in the right direction, ie into the ship not out of it. It took most of the hours of daylight to load a few hundred tonnes so in perfect conditions it would take about 40 hours to pump 1500 tonnes or so.

When the Rena rode onto the reef her bow was stuck fast and her stern still floated. Nobody could know the effect this had on the reef, whether the reef was in danger of collapsing under the ships weight or not. If divers had been put down to inspect this without some prior assessment then they may have been killed. So it was essential that a plan be worked out. The smartest salvage operators, those used to dealing with huge ships such as this, don't live in New Zealand because job opportunities for this kind of work are thin on the ground. Fortunately there have been few events of groundings. This is just one of the myriad of conditions that the salvors were faced with.

This lack of similar incidents involving large vessels within New Zealand probably has induced a sense of unintentional complacency which is fully understandable.

As far as the response went, it was the very best that could be done and people on all levels worked together to make this project safe while every effort has been made to remove oil and so on.

The proceedings have been hampered by the weather, and the fact that all of the ship's machinery is now inoperable. The oil is cold, the ship has split around her middle and is effectively in two parts.

This is a big enough tragedy with wildlife compromised, the beautiful environment that I have been promoting and living with for a quarter of a century is no longer pure, it is compromised by the oil.

All of the animals that I have been playing with for many years, and I know and recognise individual cetaceans that come to the bay on a regular basis, have been left to their fate really.

I have no idea whether the Blue Whale and her new calf that were out by Astrolabe a few days prior to the grounding, are okay.

Nothing is good about this event.

As far as I am concerned this is equally as tragic for me as it is for those animals because I can't sail, bookings are being cancelled, we have no answers to the questions of people booked over the summer. Some choose to cancel, some choose to hold on and hope with us and for us. In the meantime I can't leave port. We still have ongoing expenses.

If, as I wanted to do, I sailed in the area so see if I can find whales, check out the state of seals and dolphins in the way that a farmer would do after a snow storm, I can't because should I run into an oil slick and contaminate the hull of my vessel and then transfer this to the eco system somewhere not contaminated. So I am a bit like a stunned mullet. Devastated actually and finding it difficult to remain focused and committed.

While I was writing this I received a call from Tourism BOP who offered their emotional support to me and my business and told me that they are 150 per cent behind us and other businesses locally affected. They are working for us at government level and have waived various expenses relating to advertising and brochure display and such. It's great to know that people are out there caring for the wildlife, the environment, local businesses and the reputation of the region. Nobody deserves any criticism for the way they are handling this event. Politicians taking cheap shots at those involved are disingenuous.

The place to play the best rugby is at Eden Park, the place to play the best politics in the beehive. Nobody would expect to see the Welsh rugby team trashing the French players in the street, so political teams should set aside the game and be here to help and be concerned, and to provide the kind of collective leadership that the community has shown itself, otherwise they risk being seen as redundant, and interesting perception.

It will all be over soon, this dreadful mess will be cleaned up, the ship will probably stay on the reef for months if not years and the Bay will settle down. Nature, if respected, will nurture generations of humans through millenniums. I look forward to a greater closeness with people who I have discovered are worthy of every respect.