Paula Leech, NSRI Table Bay duty controller, said:At 18h19, Tuesday, 20th February, NSRI Table Bay were alerted following eye-witness reports of a man In a rowing boat appearing to be in difficulty about a mile off Granger Bay.Further eye-witness reports suggested that a boat had gone to his assistance.Following additional eye-witness reports as a precaution, with light fading and wind speeds increasing in the area, NSRI Table Bay duty crew were activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) and the sea rescue craft Spirit of Day was launched. On arrival on the scene, despite a search in the area of the eye-witness reports, no sign of the rowing boat or the boat that had appeared to be rendering assistance were found and the eye-witnesses suggested that they had gone in the direction of the Three Anchor Bay slip-way and we suspected that they may have recovered the boats.At that stage our sea rescue craft was flagged down by the yacht Moonshine just outside of the Port of Table Bay reporting motor troubles and requesting assistance to get into Port.Our sea rescue craft towed the yacht Moonshine, with 4 crew onboard, 2 males and 2 females, without incident to a berthing in the Port of Table Bay.NSRI shore crew were continuing to investigate slip-ways along the Atlantic Seaboard in an effort to find the rowing boat. Shortly after Moonshine was safely berthed we received calls from eye-witnesses in the vicinity of Queens Beach, Sea Point, reporting the rowing boat to be 150 meters off Queens Beach and the other boat (that had earlier been reported to be trying to assist the rowing boat) also in the vicinity. The man in the rowing boat was appearing to be signalling for help.The sea rescue craft Spirit of Day was diverted to respond and our NSRI rescue vehicle and shore crew responded.On arrival on the scene a 29 year old male, from Observatory, was found to be in a waterlogged rowing boat and needing assistance and it was found that the boat that was trying to help him were his friends but they appeared to be unable to render assistance.Our sea rescue craft towed the rowing boat to Three Anchor Bay slip-way where the boat was recovered without incident and the 29 year old man was not injured.His friends recovered their boat at OPBC (Oceana Power Boat Club).
TO REPORT A SEA RESCUE EMERGENCY DIAL 112 FROM A CELLPHONE
