NSRI: The Weekend That Was

CLIFTON:

NSRI STN 2 BAKOVEN:

Bevan Geyser, NSRI Bakoven station commander, saids:

At 15h02, Sunday, 28 January, NSRI Bakoven duty crew, CoCT lifeguards and Clifton Surf Lifesaving lifeguards, were alerted to reports, from the Cape Town Boating Network, of a local charter boat in distress, with 3 males and a female onboard, adrift off-shore of Clifton, after the boat experienced motor mechanical failure.

The CoCT (City of Cape Town) water rescue network was alerted.

A coordinator of the Cape Town Boating Network advised the skipper, by phone, to deploy a distress smoke flare – it appears that this effort alerted local boats, that were in the area at the time, that responded to the distress and intervened preventing the casualty boat from drifting onto rocks (or into the surf line, onto the beach) after a towline was established, from a private boat, holding the casualty boat off-shore until further assistance arrived in the form of additional private boats.

The towline was taken over by another private boat that initiated towing the casualty boat towards Sea Point.

Lifeguards monitored from the shoreline while NSRI Bakoven duty crew responded to the NSRI Bakoven Station 2 rescue base and launched the NSRI rescue craft Gemini Legend.

NSRI Table Bay was placed on alert.

On arrival on the scene, by that stage with the casualty boat under tow by a private boat, and already off-shore of Bantry Bay, an NSRI rescue swimmer was deployed onto the casualty boat where a towline was secured from our NSRI rescue craft and the towline from the private boat was released.

The local private boats, and the Cape Town Boating Network, are commended for their swift intervention and assistance.

We towed the casualty boat to the Water Club in Granger Bay and safely moored her at her berth without incident and no further assistance was required.

THREE ANCHOR BAY:

NSRI STN 1 HQ NATIONAL TRAINING and NSRI STN 3 TABLE BAY:

Julian Singh, NSRI training officer, said:

At 09h48, Saturday, 27 January, NSRI Table Bay duty crew were alerted following eyewitness reports of a paddler capsized and in distress off-shore of the Green Point lighthouse.

While NSRI Table duty crew were responding to the NSRI Station 3 Table Bay rescue base, NSRI’s training department, that was in the area at the time onboard 2 NSRI rescue craft, Colorpress Rescuer and Rotarian Schipper, conducting a coxswain development training course, diverted to assist.

NSRI Table Bay shore crew responded to Green Point Lighthouse.

Sight of the paddler was lost in dense fog.

A search commenced where NSRI shore crew spotted the paddler off-shore in the vicinity off-shore of the lighthouse.

On the NSRI rescue craft Colorpress arriving on bthe scene 2 NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed from the rescue craft.

The casualty surfski was in kelp close inshore and the local adult male paddler had reached the shore safely.

He was assisted up a service ladder onto Green Point Promenade and his surfski was swum out to the rescue craft by the rescue swimmers.

The man was escorted to the Three Anchor slipway and his surfski was brought to the slipway onboard the rescue craft and was recovered onto the shore.

The man was not injured and no further assistance was required.

The vigilance of the eyewitness, who raised the alarm, and the swift response is commended.

SIMONSTOWN:

NSRI STN 10 SIMONSTOWN:

Darren Zimmerman, NSRI Simonstown operations officer, said:

At 17h27, Tuesday, 23 January, NSRI Simonstown duty crew were activated following reports from an NSRI Simonstown coast watcher, high up on the hill at Murdoch Valley, who had sight of a paddler in difficulty in the vicinity offshore of Murdoch Valley, about 200 meters off-shore.

Our NSRI Simonstown duty crew, and additional NSRI Simonstown coast watchers, were activated.

Our NSRI rescue vehicle responded to Murdoch Valley and the NSRI craft, Jack & Irene, was launched.
CMR (Cape Medical Response) and WC Government Health EMS Metro Control was placed on alert.

Sea conditions were rough with a 30 to 35 knot South easterly wind, gusting to 40 knots.

Sight of the paddler had been lost, by the shoreline spotters, in the increasing unfavourable sea conditions.

A search commenced and during the search crew on our rescue craft noticed a paddle raised in the air being waved.

Our rescue craft proceeded to where the paddle was being waived and reaching the location we found an lady, from Sweden, in the water at her surfski.

The lady was rescued onto our rescue craft and her surf-ski was recovered.

Rewarming efforts, for hypothermia, were initiated on our rescue craft and she was brought to our NSRI Simonstown station 10 rescue base.

While we were on the scene we had noticed other paddlers coming past us, paddling in the direction of Fish Hoek.

The lady confirmed that she was one of 6 paddlers, from abroad, who had launched at Millers Point earlier to paddle to Fish Hoek in a downwind paddle. They were joined a by some local paddlers. She had earlier capsized in the strong winds and rough seas and was unable to get back into her surfski.

We brought her to our rescue base where rewarming for hypothermia continued.

While recovering our rescue craft our NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) received an NSRI SafeTrx emergency alert from a local paddler in the vicinity offshore between Murdoch Valley and Millers Point.

The local paddler, who had raised the alarm, confirmed that it was not him but another paddler who was in difficulty – he was using his NSRI SafeTrx app, while paddling, to alert NSRI to a paddler that he was alongside and who was in difficulty.

We re-launched our NSRI rescue craft and started heading towards the location of that paddlers NSRI SafeTrx position – being monitored by our NSRI EOC controllers.

There was some confusion when it was realised that the NSRI SafeTrx alert position, being monitored by NSRI EOC was continuing to head towards Fish Hoek.

On investigation we learned that the man who activated his safeTrx had not stayed with the casualty paddler.

A search commenced, from where we had rescued the lady – where we had noticed other paddlers coming past us, searching down wind – towards Fish Hoek, but in worsening sea conditions we could not immediately locate the paddler in distress despite NSRI coast watchers and shore rescue crew scouring the coastline in the vicinity of where the first emergency NSRI SafeTrx alert had first been activated.

The cresting wave white waters hampered search efforts.

EMS Metro Control activated the EMS/AMS Skymed rescue helicopter to join in the search.

Fortunately at that stage an NSRI coast watcher spotted the casualty drifting towards rocks on the shoreline – off-shore of Glencairn Whale Watchers Point.

Our rescue craft was half a nautical mile off-shore of that location – proceeding in a search sweeping line search that was headed towards that position – the rescue craft headed to and reached the location where we found the adult man scrambling onto rocks after having drifted onto the shoreline.

2 NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed from our rescue craft and they swam ashore reaching the adult man, from Denmark, who was at that stage safe on the rocks.

He was okay but hypothermic.

Our NSRI rescue vehicle and a CMR ambulance responded to that location where our NSRI rescue swimmers were assisting the man.
Friends, of the casualty, who had been driving along the coast road looking for him, also arrived on the scene, and together with NSRI and CMR, they assisted to help him from the rocks to the roadway.
His surfski was recovered.

After being assessed by CMR paramedics and found to be okay and only a bit hypothermic he was released into the care of his friends.

Friends had also come to fetch the lady from our rescue base.

NSRI can confirm that when the group had launched earlier in the day wind and sea conditions were calm and conditions had increased significantly while they were paddling.

The experienced surfskier’s, who had landed from abroad earlier in the day, and who were keen to experience the renowned False Bay downwind paddle experience, had downloaded the NSRI SafeTrx app to their cell phone’s, but in the cold water and the unfamiliar circumstances the 2 casualties had not been able to activate the emergency alert on their app’s.

Local paddlers, familiar with weather and sea conditions, had earlier given local advice to these paddlers, but sea conditions increased during their paddle leading to the unforeseen emergency.

NSRI commend our coast watchers and the efforts of all involved.

On Sunday, 28 January, at 18h52, NSRI Simonstown duty crew were placed on alert while NSRI Simonstown coast watchers investigated paddlers suspected to be in difficulty on the water in the vicinity of South of Murdoch Valley.

NSRI coast watchers monitored the paddlers who reached the shore safely and no assistance was required.

GQEBERHA:

NSRI STN 6 GQEBERHA:

Stephen van den Berg, NSRI Gqeberha duty coxwain, said:

On Wednesday, 24 January, NSRI Geberha duty crew and EC Government Health EMS were activated, at 22h00, to reports of a 34 year old local fisherman experiencing a medical emergency at sea onboard a local fishing trawler and requiring medical care.

Our duty crew responded to our NSRI Gqeberha Station 6 Rescue Base where the NSRI rescue craft, Rescue 6 Alpha, accompanied by an EMS rescue paramedic was launched.

We rendezvoused with the vessel 7 nautical miles off-shore of the harbour wall.

An NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crewman was transferred onto the vessel where the patient was secured into a seated harness and transferred, by high angle extrication, from the trawler onto our rescue craft.

In the care of the EMS paramedic we brought the patient to our rescue base and he was transported to hospital by EMS ambulance in a stable condition for further medical care.

The operation completed at 00h30, on Thursday morning.

NSRI Gqeberha duty controllers, NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port Elizabeth Port Control, a WC Government Health EMS duty doctor and EMS Metro Control and Telkom Maritime Radio Services, in cooperation with the ship agent, assisted MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre), in the logistics and coordination of the patient evacuation operation.

Then, on Thursday, 25 January, at 19h12, Our duty crew were alerted to prepare to patient evacuate a ships officer, with a medical condition, from a Dutch construction vessel.

Arrangements were made to do the operation in Algoa Bay at first light on Friday morning.

At 06h00, Friday, 26 January, the NSRI rescue craft Rescue 6 Alpha was launched, accompanied by an EMS rescue paramedic.

We rendezvoused with the vessel in Algoa Bay.

An NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crewman was transferred onto the vessel where the patient was secured into a harness and transferred, by high angle extrication, from the motor vessel onto our rescue craft.

In the care of the EMS paramedic we brought the patient to our rescue base and he was transported to hospital by EMS ambulance in a stable condition for further medical care.

The operation completed at 07h15.

Mark Dawson, NSRI Gqeberha duty coxswain, said:

On Sunday, 28 January, at 13h55, NSRI Gqeberha duty crew launched the NSRI rescue craft Rescue 6 Alpha, accompanied by an EMS rescue paramedic, following reports of a local 44 year old  fisherman experiencing a medical emergency at sea onboard a local fishing trawler and requiring medical care.

We rendezvoused with the vessel 3 nautical miles off-shore in Algoa Bay.

An NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crewman was transferred onto the vessel where the patient was transferred from the trawler onto our rescue craft.

In the care of the EMS paramedic we brought the patient to our rescue base and he was transported to hospital by EMS ambulance in a stable condition for further medical care.

The operation completed at 15h00.

NSRI Gqeberha duty controllers, NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port Elizabeth Port Control, Police Sea Borderline Control, EC Government Health EMS Control, a WC Government Health EMS duty doctor and EMS Metro Control and Telkom Maritime Radio Services, in cooperation with the ship agent, assisted MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre), in the logistics and coordination of the patient evacuation operation.

JEFFREYS BAY:

NSRI STN 37 JEFFREYS BAY:

Armand Joubert, NSRI Jeffreys Bay duty coxswain, said:

On Saturday, 27 January, at 16h16, NSRI Jeffreys Bay duty crew were alerted to prepare to launch for the medical evacuation of an ill fisherman onboard a local Chokka fishing vessel.

An NSRI Jeffreys Bay rescue craft was launched and Relay ambulance services were activated.

On arrival at the fishing vessel, half a nautical mile off-shore of Jeffreys Bay, the patient was transferred onto our rescue craft and brought to shore where he was transported by Relay ambulance to our NSRI Station 37 Jeffreys Bay rescue base and he was transported to a doctor, in a stable condition, by the staff of the fishing company.

NSRI Jeffreys Bay duty controllers, NSRI EOC (Emergency Operations Centre), TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of St Francis Port Control, a WC Government Health EMS duty doctor, Telkom Maritime Radio Services and Relay ambulance services, in cooperation with the fishing company, assisted MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre), in the logistics and coordination of the patient evacuation operation.