Our 14m rescue boat, based in Gordon's Bay, today sailed to Table Bay where she will be sold. The rescue boat, built in 2008, has served an impressive 700 hours saving those in peril.Sponsored by the late Jack and Irene Riley, she was much loved by the crew who served on her. A rescue boat is not just a vessel, the crew grow fond of her and trust her with their lives so it was an emotional time as they bade farewell. She left Gordon's Bay on Sunday morning in the dark, at 4am, at high tide. The silting of the Gordon's Bay harbour has proved a bit of a challenge for our largest vessel in the fleet and we have recently had to rely on Station 10 Simon's Town to travel across the bay to respond to a few of our rescue calls.As an organisation we need to respond to the changing landscape and to equip our crew with the best tools to perform rescues in harsh conditions. The site of the rescue base and the optimal replacement vessel is under review and all options are being considered. In the interim, it is business as usual with our rapid response craft fully operational and ready to respond, 24 hours a day.The crew onboard will be using the trip as a training exercise and earning sea time for their Class 1 Coxswain tickets.
Jack Riley stops in Simon's Town en route to Table Bay
Neil Slater, Etienne le Roux, Daniel Heimann, Ryan Holmes, Brett Ayres, Clive Tesner, Alan Meiklejohn and Edward Rossouw
We were joined by a bob of hundreds of seals
