Incident at Richards Bay and a busy weekend at Langebaan

Manie le Roux, NSRI Richards Bay duty coxswain, said: On Saturday, 15 June, at 12h00, NSRI Richards Bay duty crew were activated following reports of a fishing ski-boat capsized offshore of Rooiwalle, Richards Bay, with 3 men onboard, reportedly in the water, 3 nautical miles offshore.

One casualty was able to raise the alarm using his phone.

The NSRI Richards Bay rescue craft Spirit of Round Table II was launched.

On arrival on the scene, we found that all 3 men had been rescued from the water by crew of a fellow fishing boat.

The 3 men, from Pretoria, were not injured and they were transferred onto the NSRI rescue craft.

NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed into the water, and they secured rope to the capsized casualty ski-boat and using our NSRI rescue craft we righted the casualty boat and towed her to the harbour, in the Port of Richards Bay, without incident.

The skipper and crew of the fellow boat that assisted to rescue the 3 men from the water are commended for their assistance.

It appears that the casualty boat may have been capsized by a wave while they were fishing.

LANGEBAAN:

Nic Stevens, NSRI Mykonos station commander, said:

On Friday morning at 08h04, 14 June, NSRI Mykonos duty crew were activated following reports of a small sailing yacht broken her moorings and drifted onto the shoreline at Schaapeneiland, Langebaan Lagoon.

NSRI Mykonos crew investigated, finding the local sailing yacht unmanned, with her keel in shallow water gently run aground on the shoreline.

The NSRI craft Rotary Burnett was launched.

On arrival on the scene we took the yacht under tow pulling her gently off the shallow muddy shoreline.

SA National Parks and Langebaan Yacht Club were able to assist to identify and reach out to the owner who was not aware that his sailing yacht had broken her mooring.

We towed the yacht to Langebaan Yacht Club where she was berthed without incident and no damage to the yacht was sustained.

Then at 21h45, Friday, 14 June, NSRI Mykonos duty crew were alerted following a request for medical assistance from a Hout Bay long line fishing trawler reporting a crewman, age 39, from Uganda, suffering a medical condition and requiring medical care.

They were 40 nautical miles offshore of Saldanha Bay at the time.

West Coast Medical and Rescue were contacted, and they were put in communications with the captain and medical crew of the trawler to investigate and evaluate the patient's medical condition.

It appeared that the patient's condition had stabilised but he required to be medically evacuated to hospital as soon as possible.

Efforts, in cooperation with TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Saldanha Bay Port Control, to arrange for the vessel to dock at the Port of Saldanha were not successful and it was decided for the vessel to head closer towards Saldanha Bay while West Coast Medical remained in contact with the vessel's crew, monitoring the patient's condition.

At 00h06, Saturday, 15 June, the NSRI Mykonos duty crew were activated to report to our NSRI Mykonos station 4 rescue base where, at 01h05, the NSRI Mykonos rescue craft Spirit of Vodacom was launched.

We rendezvoused with the fishing trawler at a reporting station 12 nautical miles offshore of Mykonos.

The patient was transferred onto our rescue craft and in the care of NSRI medics, in a stable condition, he was brought to our rescue base where a West Coast Medical ambulance was standing by.

The patient was transported to hospital, in a stable condition, by West Coast Medical ambulance.

NSRI commend the assistance of Telkom Maritime Radio Services (who assisted with VHF marine radio communications), Saldanha Bay Port Control and West Coast Medical for their assistance.

The operation completed at 03h40.

Then at 15h48, Saturday, 15 June, during a routine training exercise with NSRI St Helena Bay station 44, NSRI Mykonos and NSRI St Helena Bay were activated to reports of swimmers in difficulty at Britannia Bay.

There were reports that 4 people were caught in rip currents and a man, a Good Samaritan, using a canoe, was attempting to assist the 4 people.

The NSRI rescue craft Rotary Onwards was diverted to respond to the scene.

On NSRI arriving on the scene the 4 casualties were found safe on the beach.

It appeared that 2 casualties, youngsters aged about 12 or 13, had self rescued to the shore and they were not injured. We believe that a mother had then entered the water and rescued her son, age about 12 or 13, safely to the shore. All from St Helenas Bay, they were not injured.

NSRI medics checked on the individuals and found them to be in satisfactory condition. They were all taken home with the advice for their families to continue monitoring them for any signs of non-fatal drowning symptoms.

Then at 19h27, Saturday, 15 June, NSRI Mykonos duty crew were activated following reports of a sailing yacht that may have drifted into the Langebaan Lagoon mussel farm, offshore of Mykonos, and rope had reportedly snared around her keel.

There were 2 couples onboard.

NSRI towed them out of the mussel farm, without incident, and they continued on their way. No further assistance was required.