Yacht aground in Yzerfontein

Picture attached: By NSRI Yzerfonten. The yacht Flee aground in the surf at Yzerfontein.Willem Lubbe, NSRI Yzerfontein station commander, said:At 20h55, Thursday, 11 May, NSRI Yzerfontein duty crew were activated following eye-witness reports of a light, appearing to be navigation lights, coming from a boat close in-shore of Yzerfontein Point.The eye-witnesses on closer inspection confirmed that there appeared to be a yacht in the surf-line and washing towards rocks at 16 Mile Beach.Our sea rescue vehicle and sea rescue quad bike were dispatched to investigate and on arrival on the scene we found a yacht washed onto the rocks and a 66 year old Cape town man on the beach, safe and wearing a life-jacket and safety gear and he confirmed that he was the solo sailor of the yacht Flee. His yacht ran aground in swells and he had managed to get off the yacht onto the beach.We treated him for hypothermia and he was taken to our sea rescue station where it was confirmed that he was not injured and we continued to re-warm him while our crew investigated the yacht which was found to have motor failure and her rudder had been ripped off in the grounding.We took the man's personal belongings and as much loose equipment that we could off the yacht and the yacht was hard aground in the Spring low tide.The man's family were contacted in Cape Town and they drove to Yzerfontein to support him.He was sailing from Hout Bay to Port Owen.During the Spring high tide, from 04h00 this morning, Friday, 12th May, the yacht shifted position drifting onto the beach.The man is assessing options to recover or salvage his yacht.TO REPORT A SEA RESCUE EMERGENCY DIAL 112 FROM A CELLPHONE