The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Simons Town successfully re-floated and re-moored an unmanned sailing vessel that had broken its moorings and was at risk of grounding on rocks on Monday afternoon, Cape {town} Etc reports.
The incident unfolded in Simons Town amid challenging weather conditions, characterised by gusty winds of up to 40 knots.
Darren Zimmerman, the NSRI Simons Town station commander, reported that the duty crew was alerted after receiving urgent reports regarding the adrift sailing vessel.
‘We established communications with the management at the False Bay Yacht Club (FBYC) and the sailing yacht’s manager, coordinating our efforts through the NSRI Emergency Operations Centre (EOC),’ Zimmerman stated.
‘Meanwhile, our NSRI duty commanders and controllers were already en route to the scene to assess the situation.’
Fortunately, it was confirmed that the vessel, which measures 50 feet in length, was unmanned at the time it broke free from its moorings due to the severe wind conditions.
Upon arriving at the scene, the crew found the yacht had gently grounded on the shoreline of Long Beach in Simons Town.
A joint decision was made between the NSRI and the yacht’s management to work cooperatively to re-float the sailing boat ahead of an impending spring high tide, which was estimated to arrive in approximately an hour.
To execute this plan, the NSRI launched its rescue craft, the Donna Nicholas, and dispatched rescue swimmers to the beach.
Once on the scene, the NSRI rescue swimmers established a towline from the rescue boat to the grounded vessel. They subsequently prepared to act as crew members on the sailing boat to ensure a coordinated effort.
As the tide peaked, the towline was gradually tightened, allowing the rescue craft to gently nudge the yacht off a shallow ledge, successfully re-floating it without causing any damage to the hull.
The NSRI swimmers remained aboard the sailing yacht during the tow to deeper waters, where they safely moored the vessel at the emergency moorings provided by FBYC.
Despite the challenging conditions presented by the strong winds, the operation concluded successfully and without incident.
Zimmerman expressed appreciation for the quick response during this critical moment, stating, ‘The swift action taken was essential to optimally utilise the incoming spring high tide. The completion time for the operation was recorded at 7:34pm.’
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Picture: NSRI
