At 07h26, Sunday, 07th February, NSRI Hout Bay duty crew were activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) following a request for a water pump from the local 20 meter fishing vessel Silver Hunter, with 21 crew onboard, 7 nautical miles off Hout Bay.On investigating it was established that the casualty trawler had no steerage and no motor power and they were taking on water. NSRI Hout Bay launched the sea rescue craft Nadine Gordimer and Albie Matthews and on arrival on the scene, in gusting to 40 knot South Easterly winds and a 2 to 3 meter sea swell, found all crew safe and the fellow fishing trawler Sea Crest had taken up a tow line and were initiating a tow of the casualty trawler towards Hout Bay when the Sampson Post (towing post) broke off the casualty fishing trawler causing the casualty fishing trawlers bow to separate.NSRI Kommetjie, at sea at the time on routine exercise, responded the sea rescue craft Spirit of the Vines to come to assist while NSRI Hout Bay put rescue swimmers onboard the casualty fishing trawler to manage the tow lines. It was decided, as a precaution, to transfer the fishing crew off the casualty fishing trawler and the NSRI Bakoven sea rescue craft Rotarian Schipper was activated to assist.The sea rescue craft Albie Matthews, NSRI Hout Bay, Spirit of the Vines, NSRI Kommetjie and Rotarian Schipper, NSRI Bakoven, transferred 19 of the fishing crew off the casualty fishing trawler and they were transferred from the sea rescue craft onto the fellow fishing trawler Daan Viljoen which took all 19 fishing crew into Hout Bay harbour without incident.The skipper and the first engineer of the casualty fishing trawler stayed onboard their casualty vessel to assist with the tow effort. NSRI Hout Bay's sea rescue craft Nadine Gordimer took up the tow line and the casualty fishing trawler was towed into Hout Bay harbour and safely berthed. The operation was hampered by the strong winds and shore crew assisted by fishermen were used on the harbour wall to assist in the berthing effort using rope lines to pull the casualty vessel to her berth once they were in Hout Bay harbour.Once all were safely ashore and the casualty vessel safely berthed no further assistance was required and no one was injured.On completion of the operation, on NSRI Bakoven departing Hout Bay to head towards the Port of Table Bay in their sea rescue craft Rotarian Schipper, they came across two kite boarders requesting assistance. The kite boarders, a 29 year old male from Montana, United States of America, and a 35 year old male, from Kwa-Zulu Natal, reported that they had departed Witsand near to Scarborough to sail their kite boards to Kommetjie but after being caught in the strong off-shore winds they had missed Kommetjie and were attempting to get in at Hout Bay. They were found by NSRI Bakoven in the vicinity of Chapmans Peak.The American, showing signs of exhaustion, was taken onboard the sea rescue craft and he was transported to the NSRI sea rescue base in Hout Bay. The local man sailed to Hout Bay beach where the sea rescue vehicle from NSRI Hout Bay collected him and took him to the NSRI sea rescue base in Hout Bay. Both men required no further assistance.
TO REPORT A SEA RESCUE EMERGENCY DIAL 112 FROM A CELLPHONE
Pic by Derryn Pearson
Pic by Derryn Pearson
Pic by Liam McGurk
Pic by Liam McGurk
Pic by Liam McGurk
Pic by Bevan Geyser showing the close up of the bow of the casualty and Station 8 Hout Bay's Jason de Villiers standing on the jetty
Pic by Bruce Davidson
Pic by Bruce DavidsonImages can be
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