NSRI, Police and the Emergency Services are appealing to the maritime community, shoreline anglers, paddlers, sailors and coastal walkers/hikers to be cautious during the cold front currently being experienced around the South Western Cape coastline on Wednesday and spreading to the Southern Cape and East Coast in places.
SAWS (South African Weather Services) have issued alerts forecasting high winds and heavy sea conditions, with waves of 4 to 6 meters. Rough sea conditions are being experienced.
We are appealing to the public and to the maritime community to follow SAWS weather forecasts and to exercise caution during this time.
Don’t venture down to the coastline or launch to go to sea unless absolutely necessary.
Commercial seafarers, sailors and fishermen who are at sea during this time – wear your life jackets while at sea and exercise caution.
SHELLY BEACH:
Melodie Herrmann, NSRI Shelly Beach duty controller, said:
At 06h57, Tuesday, 24 June, NSRI Shelly Beach duty crew were activated following reports of 2 men fallen overboard a local charter fishing boat that was launching through the surf zone to go to sea.
NSRI crew and Med-Evac ambulance services responded and while responding it was confirmed that both men were safely ashore.
The 2 casualties were assessed by NSRI and Med-Evac paramedics and despite a few bumps and bruises they required no further medical care.
The charter fishing boat skipper and crew are commended for ensuring all onboard were secured safely into life-jackets and the swift assistance by public members and the Shelly Beach beach office is commended.
RICHARDS BAY:
Manie le Roux, NSRI Richards Bay deputy station commander, said:
At 12h37, Saturday, 21 June, NSRI Richards Bay duty crew were activated following reports of a boat capsized in the vicinity of Pelican Island in the Port of Richards Bay.
Our NSRI duty crew responded to our NSRI Richards Bay station 19 rescue base where the NSRI rescue craft JetRIB Rescue 19 Bravo was launched.
It was reported that 2 local boats were on the scene assisting one man (the skipper) and six females (passengers) from the water at a 7 meter harbour cruise boat that had capsized.
On arrival on the scene we found that a local boat, Good Samaritans, had recovered all 7 casualties from the water and had brought them safely to the Richards Bay Ski-Boat Club. All casualties were accounted for and there were no injuries.
Assisted by a local ski-boat our NSRI rescue craft towed the casualty boat to the Richards Bay Ski-Boat Club where the casualty boat was righted by the owner and recovered.
The swift response and assistance of the local Good Samaritans on their private boats is commended.
SIMONS TOWN:
Sharon Crowthar, NSRI Simons Town duty coxswain, said:
At 13h07, Saturday, 21 June, NSRI Simons Town duty crew were activated following eyewitness reports of a Hobie Cat sailing craft appearing to be dismasted North West of Roman Rock Lighthouse with 2 male casualties reportedly in the water.
Shortly after receiving the eyewitness report a red distress flare was sighted coming from the vicinity of the incident.
Our NSRI duty crew responded to our NSRI Simons Town station 10 rescue base where the NSRI rescue craft Jack&Irene was launched.
NSRI Simons Town coast watchers were alerted when a second red distress flare was sighted – at that stage the casualty sailing craft appeared to be drifting South.
CMR (Cape Medical Response) was placed on alert and our NSRI rescue vehicle was dispatched to the land side.
On arrival on the scene a towline was established to tow the casualty sailing craft away from the rocky shoreline at Seaforth Beach.
The 2 casualties, males, ages one in his twenties and one in his forties, from Observatory, were taken onboard the rescue craft and they were not injured.
We towed their casualty sailing craft to Long Beach, Simonstown, where our NSRI rescue swimmers recovered their sailing craft and no further assistance was required.
Simon McDonnell, NSRI Simons Town station commander, said:
On Sunday, 22 June, at 08h27, NSRI Simons Town crew, at the False Bay Yacht Club marina, witnessed a local sailing vessel appearing to suddenly be sinking rapidly at her berthing.
Our duty crew, at our NSRI Simons Town station 10 rescue base conducting routine training and maintenance at the time, were immediately activated and responded with water pumps and rescue equipment to cut free the mooring lines but the sailing vessel sunk to the seabed rapidly before interventions could be established.
The sailing yacht owner and local marina company are engaged in salvaging the sailing vessel.
It is unknown what caused the sailing vessel to suddenly sink.
Steel Solstice
A British man on safari walks into a bar far out in the reaches of a game reserve in Southern Africa, he stays at the bar for a while shooting the shit with the bartender and drinking like a fish, he offer to buy the barkeep a round and since no one else is within 2km of their small oasis of liquor the barkeep obliges. The englishman goes off to the bathroom to have a good old go at the porcelain, he\’s back and ready for a few more whiskeys. He\’s just sat down when suddenly in the distance he hears a scream. He looks over his shoulder and dismisses it as nothing, he turns to the barkeep and orders a drink, takes a sip and hears the scream again. He looks at the barkeep who just shrugs it off. A minute or two later he and the barman hear it again and go outside to take a look. They see a lone figure running towards them screaming, he spots them and lets out a cry, RUN!!!!! HE\”S COMING!!!!!
The barkeep and the Englishman both look at the terrified bedraggled sight before them, and try to calm him down, but he\’s completely inconsolable. They give him water and finally manage to get a word out of him but he struggles free from their grasp and run away screaming.
A few minutes later the same thing happens with a whole group of men running in and screaming, he\’s coming, he\’s coming the barkeep grabs hold of one of the men as he tries to sprint past the bar and tries to get information out of him, again no response other than terrified gibberish.
The barkeep and his customer are starting to get worried, they start to pack up before another group of horrified natives run up to the bar most of them flee but one tries to hide behind the bar, the barkeep pulls out a shotgun and points it at the terrified man\’s face, finally managing to coax some words out of him. \”He\’s coming for us, Vernon Koekemoer is coming for us, we have to hide!!! We have to get out of here.\” He gets up and tries to run but the barkeep grabs him, feeling trapped in a panic he grabs the barkeeps shotgun and blows his own head off. The Englishman and the barkeep look at each other starting to really panic now.
They look out of the window and off in the distance they see a tornado coming towards the bar, at the bottom of the tornado they see the hugest beast of a man they have ever seen, as he gets closer they spot that he is riding a rhinocerous and using a crocodile as a riding whip, with each smack of the crocodile across the back of the rhino the louder is screams and the faster it runs, the tornado following it getting ever larger.
The 2 look at each other and start to fortify their position, they\’ve got a gun and they\’re waaay to drunk to run, so they start piling bar stool and tables and anything they can get their hands on to make sure they\’ll be safe when he arrives. They\’re not gonna make it, they can see the man slowing down his rhino, by now the crocodile is nothing but reptile paste on the bruised rump of the half dead rhino, the rhino drops down dead from exhaustion and crashes to the ground right outside the bar the tornado loses it\’s last breath in a cloud of dust as the huge man crashes his way through the make shift barricade and charges up towards the bar where the 2 men have taken shelter, he grabs a bottle of the hardest liquor on the shelf and down the entire litre in 1 gulp, he peers over the bar sobbing and sees the 2 defenders cowering down behind the crates of beer, they look up at the mans\’ face and he stares at them with a look of complete and utter hopelessness, he stares at them for a half second and half screams, half sobs, \”Oh my god what are you still doing here!!! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!!!! Vernon Koekemoer is coming!!!!\”
Lady Peach
Drinking game: SA rules whenever your girl friend goes to the loo you take 4 shots