Reinard Geldenhuys, NSRI Agulhas station commander, said; “At 18h30 on Tuesday 13 December, NSRI Agulhas volunteer sea rescue duty crew were activated following reports of a dinghy being blown out to sea off-shore of De Damme, between Struis Baai and Hermanus in the Buffeljags area.
“Two of our NSRI rescue swimmers boarded the Overberg Fire and Rescue helicopter (B2 Squirrel) and responded to the scene.
“NSRI Hermanus were placed on high alert.
“On arrival on-scene it was found that three local fishermen had lost their paddle oars on a small dinghy and were being swept out to sea, already half a nautical mile off-shore.
“The two NSRI rescue swimmers were deployed from the helicopter into the sea and they secured the three men and in three relays of one by one an NSRI rescue swimmer accompanied each fisherman, who were secured into a hoisting harness, and they were static line hoisted to shore (known as a ‘short haul’ where a static rope hangs underneath the center of the helicopter and the rescuer, secured in a full rescue harness, accompanies the casualty, secured into a hoisting under-arm harness, and they are hoisted together, hanging underneath the helicopter, to shore. The helicopter then returns to the scene to pick up the next casualty by the same method).
“Once all three casualties, local fishermen, Paul Kruger, Simion Temmers and Clifford Ruiters, all aged approximately in their early 40’s, were safely ashore they were treated for mild hypothermia and then they required no further assistance.
“A Department of Environment – Oceans and Coasts vessel, that was in the vicinity at the time, searched for their boat but NSRI have not yet established if that search was successful.”
“At 20h00 on Tuesday 13 December, just as the Overberg Fire and Rescue helicopter was shutting down at their airport base from the fisherman rescue, a call came in notifying NSRI Agulhas of a yacht experiencing motor failure and battling to tack, under sail, away from shore and away from a collision course with Saxon Reef, (a reef running out off-shore between De Mond and Maanus Krans, near Struis Baai), with two people onboard, a man and a woman, who were not exactly certain of where they were in relation to the reef and battling against a 30 knot gusting North Westerly wind and choppy rough seas.
“The helicopter responded and NSRI Agulhas volunteer sea rescue duty crew launched our sea rescue craft VODACOM RESCUER VII.
“On arrival in the area, and with nightfalls total darkness imminent, and following a brief search from the helicopter, the yacht was spotted by the helicopter crew and they were indeed being dragged towards Saxon Reef and at their rate of drift would impact the reef within the hour.
“Our sea rescue craft arrived on-scene and, guided by the helicopter, found the yacht SONYA JASOOL, from Rotterdam, with skipper Onvo Verver and his female companion known only to NSRI as Renee.
“A tow-line was rigged and the yacht has been safely towed to the safety of the sheltered Struis Baai where the two are affecting repairs to the yacht.”
