NSRI Richards Bay rescues man blown off course during rowing training

During a routine exercise on July 6, NSRI rescued Botswana rower Marc Germiquet off Richards Bay. Training for the "World’s Toughest Row," he requested assistance due to unexpected winds. Safely towed to shore, he joined the NSRI team for rugby and a braai.

On Saturday, 6 July, during routine training exercises at sea, onboard the NSRI Richards Bay rescue craft Ocean Guardian and Spirit of Round Table II, NSRI were contacted by family of a man reporting that he required assistance offshore of Richards Bay. We had been briefed the day before that there will be a man in a 7m rowing boat training for the “Worlds Toughest Row” off the coast and to be on standby if needed.

Marc Germiquet, from Botswana, staying in Durban with his partner, had left Durban the day before and was expected to turn around at Richards Bay to return to Durban, but it appeared that he had traveled a lot faster than planned and the change in the wind direction was also predicted later than previously forecasted. This meant that in the prevailing South Westerly winds he was on a trajectory to most likely land up in Mozambique by the next morning if there was no change in the winds. He requested to be assisted into RIchards Bay as in a rowing boat it would have been impossible to row against the wind and swell into the Harbour.

Following a search we located the man in the vicinity of the Patinga wreck. The man's wife was notified that he was safe.

He was safe and in good spirits, and considering the challenge that he is training for – landing up in Mozambique would have been no problem for him but we were happy to assist him.

We established a towline using our RHIB (rigid hull inflatable boat) Spirit of Round Table II and we towed him to our NSRI Richards Bay station 19 rescue base.

Arrangements were made for the man to return to Durban the next day so he joined us at our NSRI rescue base to watch the rugby, braai and we arranged accommodation for him for the night.

The family were very grateful for the assistance and we have wished him well on the upcoming WORLDS TOUGHEST ROW - a 3000 Nautical mile row we believe he enters with 45 other Boats, this coming December. He is dedicating the row to raise funds for the Bush Ways Foundation, a non profit organisation building pre-primary schools in rural communities of Botswana. For more information see: www.oceanways.org.