Strong winds in Cape Town this weekend

MOUILLE POINT: At 14h03, Friday, 06 May, NSRI Bakoven and NSRI Table Bay duty crews were activated following eye-witness reports of a suspected paddle board capsized 500 meters off-shore of Rocklands Beach, Sea Point, in strong gale force winds. NSRI Bakoven and NSRI Table Bay launched rigid inflatable sea rescue craft while NSRI Bakoven and NSRI Table Bay dispatched shore based crew to investigate from the land side.Kaskazi Kayaks shop in Mouille Point also kept a vigil on the object and all resources arriving on the scene confirmed that the object looked like a capsized double kayak. While rescue craft responded to the scene boat slip-ways were investigated to discover if any paddlers were overdue or missing but no one could confirm if any paddlers were out on the sea in the strong gusting winds.Sea Rescue, craft arriving on the scene, discovered that the object was a large plastic sheet which weighed down, water filled, and at the same time blown out and whipped by the strong winds gave the impression to viewers on the shore line to what looked like the hull of an upturned paddle board. The piece of plastic was recovered from the water and brought to the sea rescue base at Bakoven where arrangements will be made for disposal of the plastic and eye-witnesses were thanked for their vigilance.While this turned out to be a false alarm with good intentions and although it is unknown where the large piece of plastic originated from all agreed that the response was justified by the real possibility of persons in danger because the sheet looked identical to an overturned kayak but also recovering the sheet of plastic by the sea rescue crews removed any possible dangers to sea life and any possible dangers to boats that the sheet of plastic may have posed had it been left drifting in the water. Plastic sheeting retrieved by NSRI BakovenGORDONS BAY: On Friday afternoon, 06 May, NSRI Gordons Bay duty crew were called upon to assist the 53 foot yacht Boaz at anchor off-shore of Gordons Bay. The yacht had been there most of the week with a skeleton crew onboard and waiting a suitable berth in the harbour but strong winds picked up on Friday afternoon gusting at times up to 75 knots and the owner requested assistance to go to his boat to be onboard with his crew in case the anchor dragged.NSRI Gordons Bay launched the sea rescue craft Spirit of Surfski and scouted the yacht on the first run to exercise and to investigate the best options to putting the owner onboard. Although a tricky operation in the South Easterly 45 to 60 knot winds and at times gusting to 75 knots a plan of action was put in place and they returned to Gordons Bay harbour to fetch the owner and transport the owner to his yacht.On arrival on the scene the owner was successfully transferred aboard the yacht and NSRI returned to base. Throughout Friday night and into Saturday morning the yacht and her crew were monitored by NSRI and they had endured the night and the strong gale force winds and remained safe and on Saturday morning with the wind died down the owner thanked NSRI for the assistance. Apologies for the poor picture quality