PORT ELIZABETH – Boat gets into trouble in surf:

At 13h02 on Friday 12 July Port Elizabeth volunteers were called out following eye-witness reports of a boat appearing to be in difficulty in the surf-line off Bushy Park Farm, between Sardinia Bay and Sea View, Port Elizabeth.Daniel Heimann, Port Elizabeth duty Coxswain, said:'Our duty crew responded to the scene towing BOARDWALK RESCUER which we launched on-scene.'Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal Surf Lifesaving and the SA Police Services Sea Border Line also responded.'The surf lifeguards also launched their rescue rubber-duck to back us up.'An NSRI look-out had spotted the boat being bashed by waves at the back-line.'On our arrival at the boat we found a man ( about 40 years old), from Swartkops, on the RIB ( Rigid Inflatable Boat) and we took the casualty boat under tow and towed her, accompanied by the surf lifesaving boat, safely to the beach where it was recovered.'The man, who was not injured, told us that others had been on the boat with him but had managed to swim to shore and they were safe.'It appears that the boat had suffered mechanical motor failure and had drifted into the surf-line before all of the crew except one left the craft and swam ashore. It was not determined how many people were on the boat but it has been confirmed that they are all accounted for.'Pictures are available on Sea Rescue's Flickr page.