Mossel Bay: Finnish Yacht Recovered

A Finnish couple have been assisted after their sailing yacht drifted ashore in the early hours of Tuesday morning at Santos Beach, Mossel Bay.

Andre Fraser, NSRI Mossel Bay duty coxswain, said: At 08h16, Tuesday, 21 January, NSRI Mossel Bay duty crew were activated by TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Mossel Bay Port Control, and Police Sea Borderline Control, reporting a sailing yacht that had drifted ashore at Santos Beach, Mossel Bay.

The high tide had just turned, high tide in Mossel Bay on Tuesday was 08h02.

The NSRI Mossel Bay rescue craft Spirit of Safmarine III was launched while NSRI rescue swimmers responded to the shore side in an NSRI rescue vehicle.

Mossel Bay Fire and Rescue Services, the SA Police Services, Police Sea Borderline Control and TNPA members responded.

The TNPA harbour tug boat Arctic Tern was placed on alert by Mossel Bay Port Control.

On arrival on the scene we joined an inflatable boat from The Skippers Foundation of Mossel Bay that was in attendance – that assisted NSRI during the operation.

NSRI rescue swimmers boarded the craft to assist the yacht crew, a husband and wife, from Finland.

It appears that the couple are sailing around South Africa, we believe that their previous Port of call was Richards Bay, and they were at moorings (at the swing moorings) offshore of Santos beach where, we suspect, during the early hours of the morning, in 3 meter sea swells, their sailing yacht may have broken her moorings and had drifted onto the beach.

The Skippers Foundation of Mossel Bay inflatable boat assisted to transfer a towline from our rescue craft Spirit of Safmarine III where NSRI rescue swimmers, in cooperation with the yacht skipper, established a towline.

Timing the sea swells that were washing ashore in the outgoing tide, and using our rescue craft, we were able to pull and turn the casualty sailing yacht, that was initially lying side on – abeam – on the beach, to bow to the sea, and then attempts were made to pull her (the sailing yacht) gently off the beach in the shallow water, but attempts were not successful.

Later, we were joined by the TNPA harbour tug Arctic Tern – the towline was transferred to the Arctic Tern and they were able to pull (tow) the sailing yacht out to sea.

NSRI Mossel Bay rescue crew remained onboard, with the 2 sailing yacht crew, throughout the operation.

Her anchor, still deployed, that was dragging – while being towed further out to sea – was recovered manually once they reached deeper waters.

Arctic Tern towed the casualty sailing yacht into Mossel Bay harbour where, once inside the harbour, we rafted our NSRI rescue craft alongside the casualty sailing yacht and then safely moored her at the Vincent Jetty, at around 11h15, and no further assistance was required.