A National Sea Rescue Institute crew stationed at Durban had to go to the aid of a stricken catamaran about 20 nautical miles south of the Kwazulu-Natal port city on Saturday night.
The crew were activated after a call for assistance from the 36-foot Catamaran Galileo‚ with two crew on board‚ which was reporting to be struggling against the weather on a storm sail and with motor mechanical and battery power failure and not making any progress‚ Andre Fletcher‚ NSRI Durban deputy station commander‚ said.
Their last port of call was Bazaruto Island off the Mozambican coast.
“Our Durban sea rescue craft Eikos Rescuer II was launched and with communications assisted by Telkom Maritime Radio Services at 1.30am we rendezvoused with the casualty catamaran 28 nautical miles South of Durban‚ in the vicinity of Aliwal Shoal‚ finding both crewmen safe but battling against up to 15 knot north-easterly winds and a two-metre swell in a heavy thunder and lightning storm.
“A towline was rigged and through a severe lightning and thunder storm we towed the casualty Catamaran to the Port of Durban‚ without incident‚ arriving safely at 8am on Sunday‚ and by 9am the casualty catamaran was safely berthed and they required no further assistance‚” Fletcher said.
The skipper of the catamaran was from Hermanus in the Western Cape while his crewman is from the Mozambican coastal town of Vilanculos.
NSRI goes to aid of stricken catamaran south of Durban
A National Sea Rescue Institute crew stationed at Durban had to go to the aid of a stricken catamaran about 20 nautical miles south of the Kwazulu-Natal port city on Saturday night.
The crew were activated after a call for assistance from the 36-foot Catamaran Galileo‚ with two crew on board‚ which was reporting to be struggling against the weather on a storm sail and with motor mechanical and battery power failure and not making any progress‚ Andre Fletcher‚ NSRI Durban deputy station commander‚ said.
Their last port of call was Bazaruto Island off the Mozambican coast.
“Our Durban sea rescue craft Eikos Rescuer II was launched and with communications assisted by Telkom Maritime Radio Services at 1.30am we rendezvoused with the casualty catamaran 28 nautical miles South of Durban‚ in the vicinity of Aliwal Shoal‚ finding both crewmen safe but battling against up to 15 knot north-easterly winds and a two-metre swell in a heavy thunder and lightning storm.
“A towline was rigged and through a severe lightning and thunder storm we towed the casualty Catamaran to the Port of Durban‚ without incident‚ arriving safely at 8am on Sunday‚ and by 9am the casualty catamaran was safely berthed and they required no further assistance‚” Fletcher said.
The skipper of the catamaran was from Hermanus in the Western Cape while his crewman is from the Mozambican coastal town of Vilanculos.
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