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Catamaran Rescued Off Richards Bay

Norman Rautenbach, NSRI Richards Bay deputy station commander, said: At 18h59, Friday, 16 February, NSRI Richards Bay duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from 3 South African men on a sailing yacht reporting to be caught in heavy seas off-shore of Richards Bay motoring with one of their two motors after they had suffered a mechanical issue with the second motor. Being a Catamaran, on only one of two motors, they were battling to keep course and steer towards Richards Bay.

Our NSRI duty crew reported to our NSRI Richards Bay station 19 base where we launched the NSRI rescue craft Ocean Guardian.

NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), TNPA (Transnet National ports Authority) Port of Richards Bay Port Control, Police Sea Borderline Control and MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination) Centre were alerted.

Telkom Maritime Radio Services and NSRI Richards Bay duty controllers, assisted with marine VHF radio communications.

We rendezvoused with the sailing yacht, whose last Port of call was in Mozambique, in an electrical thunderstorm, 2 to 3 meter sea swells and moderate to strong South Westerly winds.

A towline was passed to the 3 yachtsman and a towline was rigged from their yacht.

We towed them into the Port of Richards Bay and rafted alongside them where 3 NSRI crew were transferred onto the yacht and we brought them safely to a berth at the international moorings without incident.

They had hoped to get to Durban but under only one motor power and some rudder steering issues, in the storm that came through while they were off-shore of Richards Bay, the safer option was to bring them into Richards Bay for repairs before continuing.

The operation was completed at midnight.

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