No Rest for NSRI

Incidents attended to by the NSRI these past days:

WEST COAST NSRI MYKONOS

Nic Stevens, NSRI Mykonos station commander, said: Thursday, 19 October, our NSRI Mykonos duty crew launched the NSRI rescue craft Rotary Burnett at 17h48 to assist two local men on their motor boat that they reported to be experiencing electrical and mechanical problems and in no imminent danger off-shore between South Head and Jutten Island, Jutten Bay, Saldanha Bay.

On arrival on the scene we rigged a towline and without incident we towed them to the Mykonos Marina where they moored and no further assistance was required.

Saturday, 21 October, our NSRI Mykonos duty crew launched the NSRI rescue craft Rotary Burnett at 12h17 to assist 2 local men on a local 23 foot sailing yacht 2 nautical miles from our NSRI Mykonos rescue station.

The yacht had sustained rope fouled around her motor propellors.

On arrival on the scene we rigged a towline and without incident we towed them to the Mykonos Marina where they moored and no further assistance was required.

Saturday, 21 October, our NSRI Mykonos duty crew launched the NSRI rescue craft Spirit of Vodacom at 21h00 and rendezvoused with a motor vessel bulk carrier 10 nautical miles off-shore at Saldanha Bay where we patient evacuated a Filipino sailor suffering a trauma injury sustained at sea onboard the vessel.

NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), NSRI Mykonos duty controllers, TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority), SA Police Services Sea Borderline Control, Telkom Maritime Radio Services, WC Government Health EMS Metro Control, and an EMS duty doctor, assisted MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) in the logistics and coordination of the patient evacuation operation.

The vessel had initially requested medical support on Friday but due to severe weather and sea conditions the operation to transfer the injured crewman to hospital was postponed to Saturday.

The ships medical crew had stabilized the patient who in a satisfactory condition. The EMS duty doctor maintained communications with the vessel, assisted by Telkom Maritime Radio Services.

The patient was transferred onto our NSRI rescue craft without incident and it was obvious that he had received excellent medical care onboard the ship by the ships medical crew.

We brought him to our NSRI Mykonos rescue station where a West Coast Medical ambulance took him to hospital where he is recovering in good care.

The operation completed at 00h28, Sunday, 22 October.

Wednesday, 25 October, NSRI Mykonos duty crew launched the NSRI rescue craft Rotary Burnett to assist a local RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) suffering motor mechanical failure offshore between Malgas Island and Jutten Island with 8 crew onboard.

On arrival on the scene 2 NSRI crew were transferred onto the casualty RHIB. The 6 crew of the RHIB were transferred onto our NSRI rescue craft and they were taken safely to Malgas Island.

NSRI returned to the casualty RHIB where after NSRI crew affected repairs to the outboard motors we thyen escorted the casualty boat under her own power and once reunited with her crew no further assistance was required.

The operation completed at 12h52.

WEST COAST NSRI LAMBERTS BAY:

Avril Mocke, , NSRI Lamberts Bay station commander, said: Saturday 21 October, at 15h40, NSRI Lamberts Bay duty crew dispatched NSRI rescue swimmers to Lamberts Bay Main Beach, while the NSRI rescue craft Spirit of Saldanha was launched following reports of a man overboard a fishing vessel.

The SA Police Services and DEFF (Department of Environment Forestry and Fisheries) also responded.

On arrival on the scene we found the casualty vessel behind shore break with 2 casualty crew on board the casualty vessel and 2 crew safely on beach.

It appears that the vessel suffered steering failure in the surf line causing the boat to falter in the wave line throwing 2 crew overboard while the skipper managed to correct his boat and navigate safely back to deeper waters.

The 2 crew who went overboard swam to shore and they were not injured.

Our NSRI rescue craft escorted the casualty craft back to the harbour where we assisted the fishermen to recover their boat and no further assistance was required.

The operation completed at 17h00.

Monday 2 October, at 11H20, NSRI Lamberts Bay duty crew investigated eye-witness reports of a vessel suspected to be in distress 2 nautical miles South of Lamberts Bay.

After visual inspection from shore NSRI crew on the shoreline found this to be a false alarm with good intentions and all resources returned to base.

The local bystander was commended for alerting NSRI to what appeared to be a vessel in distress.

Tuesday 24 October, at 09h40, NSRI Lamberts Bay duty crew launched the NSRI rescue craft Spirit of St Francis and responded 3 nautical miles North West of Lamberts Bay where we assisted a fishing boat with motor mechanical failure, with 3 local male crew onboard.

On arrival on the scene we found all 3 casualty crew safe and in good spirits. We established a towline and towed them without incident to Lambert’s Bay Harbour where their craft was safely recovered.

The operation completed at midday.

SOUTH CAPE COAST NSRI MOSSEL BAY:

JC Roos, NSRI Mossel Bay station commander, said: Tuesday, 24 October, at 12h03, NSRI Mossel Bay duty crew were alerted to prepare to respond to assist a local sailing yacht sailing up the coastline to patient evacuate a 63 year old local male sailor who suffered a serious injury after the yacht, with 4 local men onboard, ran into heavy weather on the South Cape coast, between Hermanus and Mossel Bay.

Waves had washed over the yacht causing the man to fall on the yacht and injury himself.

Our NSRI rescue craft Spirit of Safmarine III and St Blaise Rescuer, accompanied by a WC Government Health EMS rescue paramedic rendezvoused with the yacht at 16h00 off-shore of Mossel Bay.

The injured man was secured into a Stokes Basket stretcher and transferred onto our rescue craft and in the care of the EMS rescue paramedic and NSRI medics he was brought to our NSRI Mossel Bay rescue station and transported to hospital by By Grace ambulance in a stable condition.

NSRI Towed their sailing yacht into Mossel Bay harbour where the local crew affected some repairs to their yacht that had sustained damage during the heavy seas.

The man was released from hospital following medical care and the yacht has sailed to her destination up the coastline without further incident.

NSRI WILDERNESS:

Mike Vonk, NSRI Wilderness station commander said: Wednesday, 25 October, at 13h30, NSRI Wilderness duty crew were activated following reports of 4 swimmers beyond the breakers, at Wilderness Main Beach, appearing to be in difficulty.

NSRI Wilderness rescue swimmers, WC Government Health EMS ambulance and rescue squad, George Fire and Rescue Services, Frontier Medix ambulance services and ER24 ambulance services responded while our NSRI rescue craft Ann Stratford was launched.

Following an extensive search, no signs of any persons in difficulty were found.

It remains unknown if the swimmers in the water got out safely further along the beach and they may not have been in any difficulties but there remains no reports of anyone missing or overdue related to this incident.