A National Sea Rescue Institute team in Knysna was dispatched on Friday evening after residents reported sighting an unidentified object adrift in the lagoon.

Initial reports indicated that the object was either the wing of an aeroplane or the upturned hull of a boat that was heading towards the Knysna Heads in strong winds.

However, according to NSRI station commander Jerome Simonis, the unidentified object turned out to be the roof of a day cruiser boat, which the owner had swum out from shore to retrieve.

“Eyewitnesses reported an object described as maybe being the wing of an aeroplane, or the upturned hull of a boat, adrift in the Knysna Heads in strong 25 knot westerly winds.

“On arrival on the scene we found a local man who had swum out to what was identified as the roof of his day cruiser boat.

“It appears that the crew on-board the boat alerted him that the roof of his boat had blown away in strong winds and was drifting towards The Heads.

“He had arrived on the shore and he swam out to the roof and attached a towline to attempt to swim the roof to shore but in the strong winds the large roof was being blown further out towards The Heads when NSRI were alerted by eyewitnesses.”

Simonis said the man was taken on-board the NSRI rescue vessel and the roof was secured with a towline to prevent it from drifting.

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