The National Sea Rescue Institute had its hands full over the weekend, with multiple incidents occurring within a few hours in Langebaan.
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On Friday morning, the NSRI Mykonos duty crew was activated in response to reports that a small sailing yacht had broken her moorings and drifted onto the shoreline at Schaapeneiland, Langebaan Lagoon.
The NSRI craft Rotary Burnett was launched.
‘On arrival on the scene we took the yacht under tow pulling her gently off the shallow muddy shoreline,’ said Nic Stevens, NSRI Mykonos station commander.
‘SA National Parks and Langebaan Yacht Club were able to assist to identify and reach out to the owner who was not aware that his sailing yacht had broken her mooring.’
‘We towed the yacht to Langebaan Yacht Club where she was berthed without incident and no damage to the yacht was sustained.’
Then, at 9:45pm on Friday, the NSRI Mykonos duty crew was notified of a request for medical assistance from a Hout Bay long line fishing trawler, which reported a crewman (39) from Uganda suffering from a medical condition and requiring medical care.
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They were 40 nautical miles offshore from Saldanha Bay at the time.
West Coast Medical and Rescue was contacted, and they were put in touch with the trawler’s captain and medical crew to investigate and assess the patient’s medical condition.
The patient’s condition appeared to have stabilised, but he needed to be medically evacuated to the hospital as soon as possible.
Efforts to arrange for the vessel to dock at the Port of Saldanha Bay, in collaboration with TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority) Port of Saldanha Bay Port Control, were unsuccessful, so the vessel was directed closer to Saldanha Bay while West Coast Medical maintained contact with the vessel’s crew and monitored the patient’s condition.
Then, shortly after midnight on Saturday, the NSRI Mykonos duty crew was summoned to the NSRI Mykonos station 4 rescue base, from which the NSRI Mykonos rescue craft Spirit of Vodacom was launched.
‘We rendezvoused with the fishing trawler at a reporting station 12 nautical miles offshore of Mykonos,’ added Stevens.
‘The patient was transferred onto our rescue craft and in the care of NSRI medics, in a stable condition, he was brought to our rescue base where a West Coast Medical ambulance was standing by.’
The patient was taken to the hospital in stable condition by West Coast Medical ambulance.
NSRI commended the assistance of Telkom Maritime Radio Services (who assisted with VHF marine radio communications), Saldanha Bay Port Control and West Coast Medical for their assistance.
Later, during a routine training exercise with NSRI St Helena Bay station 44, NSRI Mykonos and NSRI St Helena Bay responded to reports of swimmers in difficulty at Britannia Bay.
According to reports, four people were caught in rip currents, and a man, a Good Samaritan, was attempting to assist them using a canoe.
The NSRI rescue craft, Rotary Onwards, was diverted to assist at the scene.
When NSRI arrived on the scene, the four casualties were found safe on the beach.
‘It appeared that two casualties, youngsters aged about 12 or 13, had self rescued to the shore and they were not injured. We believe that a mother had then entered the water and rescued her son, age about 12 or 13, safely to the shore. All from St Helenas Bay, they were not injured.’
NSRI medics checked on the individuals and found them to be in good health. They were all taken home with the advice that their families should continue monitoring them for any signs of non-fatal drowning symptoms.
Also on Saturday, NSRI Mykonos duty crew were activated following reports of a sailing yacht that may have drifted into the Langebaan Lagoon mussel farm offshore of Mykonos, and rope had reportedly snared around her keel.
There were two couples onboard.
NSRI towed them out of the mussel farm without incident, and they continued on their way. No further assistance was required.
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Picture: NSRI