The NSRI Yzerfontein crew were recently called to duty after a distressing phone call from a woman clinging to a boat.
The woman explained that she, her husband, her father and her son were (at the time of the call) on a boat that had capsized 200 meters off-shore of Yzerfontein harbour. They were clinging onto the upturned hull of the boat when the crew was activated to respond.
The family, who are from Durbanville, par the woman’s father who is from Yzerfontein, had gone on a fishing trip and were returning from Dassen Island. However, the return to Yzerfontein Harbour was far from smooth, as a breaking wave washed over the catamaran, capsizing it. The woman who made the call saw her phone turn out to be their saving grace, as despite being submerged in seawater, it still worked.
The NSRI’s Rescue 34 was quickly launched into action. On arrival, all four were rescued swiftly and brought to the shore safely.
“They were treated at our NSRI rescue station for hypothermia before being released requiring no further medical assistance,” says the NSRI.
The rescue craft returned to the capsized catamaran pleasure craft still adrift off-shore, where after a few attempts to right the craft at sea, the catamaran was towed to the harbour slip-way.
In learning more about what happened, the family had been thrown off the boat before swimming to the upturned hull where they clung. The couple’s 8-year-old son had initially disappeared, leading the father and grandfather to initiate a search for the youngster.
However, just as the search was about to begin, the little boy’s head poked up from under the water. It’s believed that he had been trapped under the boat in a pocket of air.
The boy thought fast and realised that removing his life jacket would pave the way to his family, as the buoyancy of the life jacket was preventing his escape from beneath the boat.
Despite the family’s recovery going seamlessly, an elderly man who had lent boat advice to the freshly rescued lot during an encounter at the harbour, suffered a severe collapose.
He fell unconscious. NSRI medics attempted CPR and the WC Government Health EMS, a local doctor, as well as the police, all responded, but the man could not be resuscitated. He was declared deceased.
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Picture: NSRI