Etienne van Zyl, NSRI Durban station commander, said: On Sunday evening, 31 August, at approximately 18h00, NSRI Durban were alerted by TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Durban Port Control reporting a 14 meter monohull sailing yacht, crewed by an American husband and wife, requiring assistance, who had been at sea for the past 39 days sailing from last Port of call, Bali.
They had reported that they had run out of diesel 11 nautical miles offshore of Durban and they required assistance entering the Port.
Additional calls of concern for the sailing yacht were received from OSASA – Ocean Sailing Association of South Africa.
Our NSRI Durban duty crew responded to our NSRI Durban station 5 rescue base where the NSRI rescue craft Spirit of Surfski 6 was launched, with spare diesel to transfer across to the yacht.
The operation was speeded up on the SAWS (South African Weather Services) forecast of a buster (strong winds) headed towards Durban.
We rendezvoused with the sailing yacht 5.4 nautical miles offshore of Durban in calm sea conditions where diesel was transferred onto the sailing yacht.
The sailing yacht’s motor was successfully bled and restarted.
As weather conditions deteriorated, as was expected with the onset of the buster, Spirit of Surfski 6 escorted the sailing yacht, under her own motor power, towards the Port of Durban.
In moderate sea conditions an NSRI rescue swimmer was transferred onboard the casualty sailing yacht to assist the yacht crew (the husband and wife) to provide additional support with safe navigation into port.
Our NSRI Durban station 5 crew assisted in mooring the yacht safely at the marina with the support of members of the Royal Natal Yacht Club without incident
The operation was completed at 23h00.
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