At 15h50 on Thursday the 27th of June St Francis Bay duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from the Chokka fishing boat WESTERN STAR reporting a fisherman in the water and in difficulty approximately 5 nautical miles off-shore.Marc May, NSRI St Francis Bay station commander, said: ' We launched SPIRIT OF ST FRANCIS II. It was then reported that WESTERN STAR had rescued the fisherman from the water and they were speeding towards St Francis Bay.'Our sea rescue craft rendezvoused with WESTERN STAR off St Francis Bay and it was confirmed that the local fisherman, believed to be aged in his mid thirties, was deceased.'The body of the fisherman was brought to our sea rescue base and has been handed into the care of the Forensic Pathology Services and Police.'It is reported that while at sea at fishing grounds the fisherman had jumped off the Chokka fishing boat SAMANTHA to swim to the WESTERN STAR, a distance of a few hundred meters, for unknown reasons, but he got into difficulty in the water and according to crew of WESTERN STAR he was floating face down in the water when he was rescued by WESTERN STAR.'Police have opened an inquest docket.'
Spirit of St Francis II
