ELANDS BAY Search for overdue boats:

At 17h33 on Wednesday the 27th of March Mykonos volunteers were activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority following reports of a crayfish bakkie (small fishing boat) out of fuel and adrift at sea between 8 and 9 nautical miles of Elands Bay, North of Saldanha Bay.Gerard Brune, NSRI Mykonos station commander, said: 'Our NSRI Mykonos duty crew towed GEMINI RESCUER II and launched at Elands Bay and a search commenced in thick fog that hampered the search.'SA Police Services assisted in the search command and shore patrols.'Efforts were made to try to locate the casualty boat who confirmed by cellphone that they were drifting in a Northerly direction.'Maritime Radio Services assisted with radio communications.'MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) assisted in plotting search patterns, wind and current speed and direction.'Our sea rescue craft then found the casualty boat MCHAN and it was towed safely to shore, arriving at 23h30.'It was then determined that the boat that NSRI originally went to look for had made it to shore safely without any assistance and it was another boat that our NSRI crew had found at sea, with engine failure.'NSRI then investigated another 3 boats lying in thick fog off Elands Bay and a boat reported to be overdue at St Helena Bay but all these boats made it safely home without assistance.' Elands Bay.