HOUT BAY:
At 16h34, Friday, 03rd April, NSRI Hout Bay duty crew were activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) following reports of a boat drifting ashore at Hout Bay Beach, next to Mariners Wharf Restaurant.
NSRI Hout Bay duty crew launched the sea rescue craft ALBIE MATTHEWS and on arrival on the scene found the boat beached and all 4 crew, 2 men and 2 women, from Tokai, safe.
It appears that they had launched the as yet unnamed 5.5 meter rigid inflatable boat from the Hout Bay harbour slip way earlier in the day on a maiden voyage for sea trials but following their sea trials, in calm sea conditions, on approaching the harbour entrance her motor failed and the wind pushed the boat ashore onto Hout Bay beach before NSRI could reach them.
Attempts were made to get their boat trailer onto the beach to recover the boat but the strong winds have blown sea sand blocking all entrances to the beach and instead NSRI Hout Bay used the sea rescue craft ALBIE MATTHEWS and towed their boat back out to sea and then safely into the harbour where she was recovered onto her trailer and no further assistance was required.
MOSSEL BAY:
At 12h05, Friday, 03rd April, NSRI Mossel Bay duty crew were activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) following a request from the SA Police Services reporting a boat beached, between the Klein Brak River mouth and the Great Brak River mouth, at Sowesia Beach, in front of De Vette Mossel restaurant, and although all 4 men onboard were safe they were reportedly having difficulty recovering their boat.
Andre Fraser, NSRI Mossel Bay station commander said that NSRI Mossel Bay dispatched a sea rescue vehicle and a rescue crew to investigate and on arrival on the scene discovered that the 12 foot boat YELLOW TALE, with 4 men from George, had run the boat onto the beach after she started to take water from a hole in the boat which may have been caused by striking an object in the water.
The men had heard a noise while the boat was underway on the water during a fishing outing, having launched earlier in the day at Mossel Bay yacht Club, and they noticed their floatation bottles leaking out of a hole in the boat and the boat was taking water so they headed straight for land and beached the boat safely.
In an attempt to recover their boat onto her trailer the trailer had got stuck in the sand and NSRI used 4x4 vehicles to attempt to recover the boat but the sand was too soft.
Mossel Bay Fire and Rescue Services were called in to assist to recover the boat using a Samil fire truck but that also wasn’t successful because of the soft beach sand.
Their boat trailers wheels then suffered damage in the soft sand so they were no longer able to use the boat trailer so the skipper called a tow truck company in George who brought a flat bed trailer vehicle to assist.
The boat was then winched off the beach onto the flat bed trailer and has been taken to George on the flat bed trailer where the owner will have his boat repaired.
Anyone going down to the beach and anyone visiting the coastline over Long Easter Weekend are advised to be cautious and aware of the Full Moon Spring Tide and the stronger than normal rip currents that are a result of the full moon Spring Tides higher and lower than normal high and low tides brought on by the full moon phase and which will peak on Saturday 04th April and that will last for the next 5 to 6 days. Extreme caution around the coast is advised over the long weekend.
-ENDS-
