RICHARD'S BAY and JEFFREY'S BAY call outs

STATION 19, RICHARD'S BAY – STATION 37, JEFFREY'S BAYMonday 07th November 2011:UPDATE:The yacht QUEST contacted NSRI Richard's Bay at around 17h00 on Monday 08 Nov reporting to be making good headway. Onboard the United Kingdom registered yacht are 3 men and a woman, a South African skipper, two South African crew, and a British citizen.Dorian Robertson, NSRI Richard's Bay station commander, said: 'We launched our sea rescue craft SPIRIT OF RICHARD'S BAY and rendezvoused with the yacht 4 nautical miles off-shore. She opted to come into Port under sail and we escorted her in and then helped her to a mooring.'They told us they took heavy seas in the channel between Madagascar and South Africa. They had rudder problems and gear box problems but limped home safely.ORIGINAL REPORT:At 20h48 on Sunday, 06th November NSRI Richard's Bay volunteer crew were placed on alert for the yacht QUEST reporting to be 80 nautical miles from Richard's Bay and limping towards the port following a spate of heavy sea conditions.Then at 08h00 on Monday 07th November the yacht reported that sea conditions had subsided and they were making better progress, but requested NSRI to remain on alert, and asked for assistance once they are closer to shore as they had motor failure.Our NSRI duty crew remain on alert and we will assist the yacht into Port once they are closer.Everyone onboard is safe and they are expecting to reach Richard's Bay later tonight.Then at 12h49 on Monday 07th November NSRI Richard's Bay duty crew were called out to reports of a yacht suspected to be in trouble in the harbour. SPIRIT OF ROUND TABLE was launched.A search at first revealed no sign of any yacht to be in any difficulty but then it was found that a yacht had broken it's mooring and had drifted across the harbour, but no people were on the yacht.A yacht club service boat rigged a tow-line and towed the yacht back to her mooring under the NSRI's supervision.Jeffrey's Bay:At 18h08 on Sunday 06th November NSRI Jeffrey's Bay volunteers were called out following reports of a suspected drowning on the Paradise Bay side of the Krom River Mouth.On arrival it was confirmed that a body of a man was floating in shallow water near to the beach.The SA Police Services were summoned and NSRI rescuers assisted Police to recover the body, suspected to be of a man who went missing and was presumed to have drowned at Main Beach, St Francis Bay last week.The body has been handed into the care of the Forensic Pathology Services and Police are arranging for positive identification and an autopsy to be performed to determine if this is the same man and to determine the cause of death.