At 12h10 on Thursday the 19th of February, NSRI Kommetjie and NSRI Simonstown duty crews were activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) following a request for assistance from the local boat SEA BREEZE, with 3 crew onboard, reporting to be caught inside a reef, and although in no imminent danger and able to get off their boat and wade ashore if necessary, they were not eager to abandon their boat (leaving their boat at the mercy of possibly being washed onto rocks) but also unable to get out to sea through the breaking surf and possibly risk wrecking the boat and possibly putting lives at risk.
NSRI Kommetjie launched the sea rescue craft SPIRIT OF WINELANDS and NSRI Simonstown launched the sea rescue craft SPIRIT OF SAFMARINE III and SPIRIT OF SURSKI II and NSRI rescue vehicles and CMR (Cape Medical Response) responded.
On arrival on-scene the 3 crew, all from Ocean View, Nathan Hendricks, Leon Declane and Marcus Hendricks, onboard the casualty craft were found safe with their boat at anchor in a clear patch between a reef, kelp and a rocky shoreline at Platboom, on the Atlantic side of Cape Point.
It appears that in calmer sea conditions they had gone close inshore to fish but as sea swells rose they were unable to negotiate the breaking surf to get back out to sea and although safe where they were they had few options to get out of their predicament.
After some deliberation it was determined that the safest option was to bring their boat ashore onto the beach as no sea rescue boat could get close enough to where they were (between the reef and the breaking surfline).
The boat was brought ashore under motor and the men will investigate options to get their boat back out to sea or onto a trailer.
Table Mountain National Parks rangers will assist the men in their attempts to retrieve their boat.
While the operation was under way veteran NSRI volunteer Chops Craig, who had responded to the scene in a sea rescue vehicle, was confronted by a baboon and sustained a cut on his right index finger and right thumb.
Chops had been sitting in the rescue vehicle on the scene of the incident and he was eating a pie when a baboon jumped into the sea rescue vehicle and in a commotion Chops sustained a cut to his fingers.
Then while an NSRI Kommetjie crew member, Schelby Richter, was getting a medical patch out of an EMS medical kit bag in the the back of the sea rescue vehicle to patch up the wound on Chops finger the same baboon jumped into the back of the sea rescue vehicle and made off with her EMS medical kit bag.
The contents of the EMS medical kit bag were then investigated by the baboon before being discarded as apparently not of interest.
SMS 32287 with your name and a message of support for our Sea Rescue crew
SPIRIT OF SAFMARINE III at the scene. Picture Chops Craig.
Nathan Hendricks, Leon Declane and Marcus Hendricks, onboard the casualty craft were found safe with their boat at anchor.
