SEA RESCUE – National – Sunday, 24 November. Yacht assisted - West Coast. Kite-surfer rescued - Struisbaai

WEST COAST:Mike Shaw, NSRI Mykonos station commander, said:At 22h57, Saturday, 23rd November, NSRI Mykonos duty crew were activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) following a request for assistance from crew of a yacht, returning from Elands Bay, reporting no wind conditions and they had discovered motor mechanical failure believed to be caused by water contaminated fuel and the yacht with 6 crew adrift approximately 5 nautical miles off-shore of Paternoster on the West Coast.The sea rescue craft Spirit of Surfski 5 was launched and on arrival on the scene we found the crew safe and a towline was rigged and without incident we towed them to Saldanha Bay where they were moored and no further assistance was required.The operation completed at around 04h00 on Sunday morning.STRUISBAAI:Reinard Geldenhuys, NSRI Agulhas station commander, said:At 16h00, Saturday, 23rd November, NSRI Agulhas duty crew, during routine training exercises, noticed a kite-surfer appearing to be in difficulty off-shore of Struisbaai.The sea rescue craft I&J Rescuer 4 diverted to investigate and the sea rescue craft Spirit of Agulhas was launched.On closer inspection the female kite-surfer was seen with her kite down in the water, she was waving for help and after being unable to get her kite airborne she was being swept out to sea in a 15 to 20 knot off-shore wind.On our sea rescue craft arriving at her side NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed into the surf to assist her and the 24 year old tourist, from the Netherlands, was rescued onto the sea rescue craft and her kite and board were recovered.She was brought to shore safely and treated for mild hypothermia at our sea rescue base where her partner, a medical doctor from Netherlands, medically assessed her and she was fine and required no further assistance.