On a nice day, Newton Ferregel sometimes goes out to sea. There is no reason to but he says it makes him feel closer to his son, Ryder, whose body was never found after he and his mother died in a boating tragedy on the Manukau Harbour in November.

A fishing boat carrying the pair and three others capsized off Clarks Beach on November 6. Gemma Ferregel, 38, died and Ryder, 10, is still missing, presumed dead.

Kevin McQuire, the skipper and Gemma’s partner, survived with his two friends, Lisa and Jay, who swam to shore and raised the alarm.

Newton Ferregel's ex- wife, Gemma Ferregel, died and son, Ryder Ferregel, went missing on the Manukau Harbour in November 2022 off Clarks Beach.

“I don’t blame anyone but two lives have been lost,” said Newton Ferregel, 44, in his only interview after the tragedy.

Ferregel says it was tough telling his other son, Kazdan, 13, his mother had died and his little brother was lost at sea.

The builder separated from Gemma seven years ago and lives in Waiuku with his partner and her sons, a 14-year-old called Carson, and an 11-year-old who, in a tragic twist, is also called Ryder and, like his lost stepbrother, is also a motocross enthusiast.

Ryder’s three brothers are trying to process the enormity of their loss.

“All the kids were all close to Ryder, they are holding up pretty well but they don’t like to talk about it much,” Ferregel said. “Ryder is the first person they have ever lost. The two Ryders were exactly the same age and went to the same daycare. My Ryder was called Ryder F and the other one is Ryder H.”

He misses everything about his youngest son who was “a loving, cheeky character”. He says his life is empty since that November day.

“He was an outdoorsy kid who was always on the go. He loved his motocross and was good at digger driving. You would never see him on a computer, he was always outside and by my side helping me.”

The grieving father believes the fatal accident could have been prevented if everyone was wearing life jackets and the Coastguard had been notified of the trip.

“It should be mandatory to wear lifejackets and you should always notify a Coastguard or someone to let them know when you are going out so if you’re not home by a certain time people can start looking for you. No one knew they were out there.”

Mark Leevers, duty officer from Coastguard NZ said there was no requirement for recreational boat operators to advise them of their plans but it was strongly recommended they tell somebody on the shore where they are going and when they will be back.

“For commercial operators there are rules.”

According to Ferregel, the group left around midday to dredge for scallops.

He says police told him the weather wasn’t ideal but they were doing two or three knots and pulling the scallop dredge when their boat was hit by two waves.

Gemma Ferregel died after a boat capsized on the Manukau harbour on November 6 .

The MetService’s forecast for the Manukau Harbour before the boat flipped was a wind speed of 15 knots in the afternoon. It was cloudy, the sea was slightly choppy with the wind opposing the tide. No warnings were issued.

Ferregel says police told him the first wave pushed the boat on its side.

“Everyone fell to one side of the boat and then they were hit again by a second wave. That was when the boat rolled and capsized. Kevin told me the boat turned upside down and he, Gemma and Ryder were sitting on the hull floating on the water for about four to five hours. Lisa and Jay swam to shore to raise an alarm because they were the strongest swimmers.”

He said McQuire told him Ryder was wearing a life jacket but took it off 15 minutes before the boat capsized.

“Ryder had a life jacket on but not at the time of the accident. He asked his mum if he could take it off before it happened because they were coasting along but he should have had it on all the time.”

Ryder Ferregel, 10, has been missing since a boat with five people on board capsized near Clarks Beach on November 6.

Ferregel says McQuire has apologised to him about the accident but they have had little contact since.

McQuire declined to comment when approached by the Weekend Herald but emphasised there was no requirement to contact the Coastguard.

Last year, provisional figures show 93 people drowned in New Zealand, the worst toll since 2008. As at January 24, 32 people had drowned so far this summer since December 1, 2022, according to Water Safety New Zealand.

There had been 15 drownings so far this year, fewer than at the same point last year when 21 people had drowned.

A helicopter searches for Ryder Ferregel in the Manukau Harbour. Photo / Michael Craig

Investigations are ongoing and Maritime New Zealand has passed the file to the police, who said inquiries are continuing.

They said there would be a coronial inquiry into the tragedy but they were unable to provide a timeline for the investigation.

Ferregel thanked Search and Rescue, the Coastguard, the police helicopter, and all the volunteers for their dedication and commitment trying to find Ryder.

Newton Ferregel's ex-wife, Gemma Ferregel, died and son, Ryder Ferregel, went missing on the Manukau Harbour in November 2022 off Clarks Beach.

Last November a Givealittle page raised $85,000 dollars to help fund the search for Ryder.

When the official search was called off, Ferregel used most of the money to pay for private helicopter searches up until Christmas.

In the new year, emotionally drained and physically exhausted, Ferregel conceded it was time to let go.

 “Before Ryder’s birthday on January 6, two months after the accident - he would have been 11 - at that point I decided to call the search off.”

The family had a private ceremony on Ryder’s birthday and played one of his favourite songs, I’m Good (Blue).

“That’s how we have accepted Ryder is never coming back. I don’t want to keep dwelling on it and we all have to move on. Life will never be the same without him. On a nice day I will go out to sea sometimes ... I have no reason to be out in the water but it makes me feel closer to Ryder. I love him and I will never stop looking for him.”