NSRI Sea Rescue Summer 2016

SEA RESCUE R14.95 | SUMMER 2016

FREE TO NSRI MEMBERS

WATERWISE

WATERWISE GOES TO MAURITIUS

AMID THE DEBRIS

Rescuing those on board the Baratz

TRAVEL

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FROM YOUR CELLPHONE FOR

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2016/10/12 11:42 AM

CONTENTS SUMMER 2016

12

02 08

LETTERS

12

AMID THE DEBRIS It took a concerted effort by rescue services to save 25 fishermen off the stricken fishing vessel Baratz

16

TUNING IN TO TECHNOLOGY Combining rescue skills with the latest in technology aids speed, efficiency and safety in rescue operations

18

WATERWISE IN MAURITIUS Die WaterWise-span deel die noodsaaklike waterveiligheidsboodskap met Mauritius se skoolkinders

20

IN THE NEWS Fundraising drives, events and station news.

NEVER GIVE UP A gruelling rescue on the flooded Umlaas River

18

26

LIFE BOAT CIRCLE News from our retired members, and invitations to join us at a number of events

28

NEW STATION ON BOARD We meet the crew from NSRI’s latest rescue base at Theewaterskloof Dam

30

SAR VESSELS IN THE PIPELINE The new design earmarked for Sea Rescue’s big-boat fleet

20 32

38 32

EXPERIENCE BOTSWANA Natural beauty and a generous people make for an unforgettable trip

36

WALES REVISITED Jeffreys Bay crew member Kenyon Clegg visited his childhood home and spent the day at the local RNLI station

38

ROWING TO OLYMPIC GLORY The story behind the two South African Olympic rowers

40

STATION DIRECTORY

SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016 /

1

FROM THE HELM

THE CREW THE PUBLISHING PARTNERSHIP

F

MANAGING EDITOR Wendy Maritz

ront of mind going into this summer is the seasonal nature of drowning: as the weather warms up, people immerse themselves in a body of water somewhere and some never return. If we can prevent injury or death from drowning, we will all enjoy a great summer.

So, what are the very practical things we can do this summer to keep us safe?

Children should always be supervised, even more so near water. In summer school holidays our kids are out there somewhere – are they being looked after? Ask your employees who’s looking after their small children.

Maybe you can create a holiday creche to keep them safe! Does your pool have a fence or net? These are all very important questions you should ask in order to be proactive about preventing a ‘worst nightmare’ this season.

Alcohol and water don’t mix, as illustrated by the high percentage of people who drown who have blood-alcohol levels over the legal limit. Don’t drink around water and, if you have a party or braai at home, particularly with children present, make sure your pool is covered. It goes without saying that if you take a watercraft out on a river, lake, dam or the sea, you should not have been drinking. Farmers should be particularly mindful of employees who may get into trouble in dams and rivers.

For those who enjoy work or recreation on the water there are a few key things that will keep you alive. Your boat (vessel) must float, in other words it must contain material that keeps it buoyant in a capsized state. You must wear a personal flotation device (PFD) at all times when you are on the water – the best lifejacket is the one you wear. The last thing is that you must be able to communicate in an emergency. My advice would be to carry a cellphone, preferable with our SafeTRX application loaded, in a silicone waterproof pouch.

These three safety measures will save your life.

Beachgoers need to adhere to some simple rules. Swim at lifeguarded beaches and between the flags, be aware of rip currents and never swim near a rip. If you don’t know, don’t go (rather be safe than sorry; swim in a tidal pool).

Never dive into shallow, murky water (fresh water or the sea) and keep your head up when body surfing to prevent a neck injury.

To me, swimming is a life skill that should be taught at school. Teach your children to swim.

For any trip to the water, take a leaf out of our WaterWise book: plan your trip, look at the conditions to make sure they’re safe, ask locals if you’re not sure, never drink alcohol and swim, and never rush in where you know you could get into trouble.

Have a great summer and let’s do it safely.

ART DIRECTOR Ryan Manning ADVERTISING Nicholas Lumb EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS Mark Beare, John Morkel EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Susan Newham-Blake ADDRESS PO Box 15054, Vlaeberg 8018 TEL +27 21 424 3517 FAX +27 21 424 3612 EMAIL wmaritz@tppsa.co.za

SEA RESCUE OFFICE +27 21 434 4011 WEB www.searescue.org.za EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: MARKETING AND FUNDRAISING Meriel Bartlett CELL 082 994 7555 EMAIL meriel@searescue.org.za PUBLIC RELATIONS Megan Hughes CELL 083 443 7319 EMAIL megan@searescue.org.za COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Craig Lambinon CELL 082 380 3800 EMAIL lambinon@mweb.co.za PRODUCED FOR THE NSRI BY The Publishing Partnership (Pty) Ltd, PO Box 15054, Vlaeberg 8018.

Copyright: The Publishing Partnership (Pty) Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without the prior permission of the editor. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not the NSRI.

DR CLEEVE ROBERTSON, CEO

Offers are available while stocks last.

REPRODUCTION Hirt & Carter

Contact us

PRINTING ABC Press ISBN 1812-0644

CAPE TOWN: NSRI, 1 Glengariff Road, Three Anchor Bay 8001; PO Box 154, Green Point 8051 Tel: +27 21 434 4011 Fax: +27 21 434 1661 Visit our website at www.searescue.org.za or email us at info@searescue.org.za www.facebook.com/SeaRescue

2 / SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016

@nsri

youtube.com/c/NSRISeaRescue

LETTERS WINNING LETTER

Thank you to Mr Andrew Nyce for your letter and for sharing your story of brave young heroes. Your hamper of Slaley wine is on its way to you.

T

hank you for the Winter 2016 Sea Rescue publication I received recently. As a slightly cynical 50-something-year-old I find that stories of bravery (not heroism) are the only thing that moves the emotions these days. You can imagine then how the story of Zoey Schmidlin, (‘Tragedie by Bokbaai’), brought a lump to my throat. The uncomplaining response in the early hours of the morning and solid resolve of a nineyear-old and her granddad to help sailors in peril on the sea is inspiring to say the least. If your guys down there have not recruited her as a future rescuer, then you have missed an opportunity.

Another youngster’s story, although not maritime in nature, involves my son, who is 11. Some time ago my wife received a distress call from a neighbour who had seen a neighbour fall. This woman, who is also in her 50s, had locked herself out of her house and property, and decided to climb her

very high wall and jump into the yard.

On landing, her leg broke and the bone punched through her skin. She lay there helpless and bleeding. My wife, who is an active member of the Midrand CPF and Sec 3, and our son responded but could not enter the property. My son then ran home, collected a ladder and climbed the wall. He then pulled the ladder over the wall and entered the yard to face the neighbour’s very large dogs, which fortunately were not hungry. He then broke into her house and, on finding the offending set of keys, opened up to let my wife in to start first aid. Obviously an ambulance had been called and he went home to continue with his TV game as if nothing had really happened.

We have many things to say about today’s youth, but now and then these stories humble even the grumpiest of older (careful!) folk. Please continue to supply us with incredible stories of rescues.

ANDREW NYCE

John Fletcher from Station 6 (PE) participated in the Baratz rescue (see page 12). Photograph: Andrew Ingram

COMFORTING WORDS A huge thank you to NSRI Plett, and, in particular, Marc Rodgers for his solid, caring support throughout the evening/ morning of 31 August/1 September.

You were a lifeline of inspiration to us, the Rogers family, as we prayed for God’s guidance in making timeous decisions to keep our family alive till morning, when the helicopter could lift us out. You and the other involved parties are true ‘Angels of Mercy’. May that which you freely give be returned to you a hundred-fold! We will be supporting you and encouraging others to do the same.

DIANNE ROGERS [The Rogers, Mostert and Steyn families and their pets were rescued by AMS after a fire broke out on their farms Jakkalskraal and Takamma, in the mountains west of the Palmiet River.]

SCUE SEA RE R14.95

For NSRI membership

or Sea Rescue subscription details:

R 2016

| WINTE

| FREE

TO NSRI

ERS

MEMB

Email: info@searescue.org.za or phone: (021) 434 4011

ISE

WATERW

TING ATHS PREVEN NING DE DROW H AFRICA IN SOUT N CHTSMA TY SOLO YA T TO SAFE S BROUGH 14 HOUR AFTER

RESCUES

MAGTE

LOOS!

ns drie ma om mete in Knysna pp eia slaan

by Die Ko Die Galat aan boord NSRI-Summer-

2015-Cover.ind

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2015/10/28

9:38 AM

SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016 /

3

LETTERS SEA RESCUE

PROUD NEW MEMBER I received PREVENTING THS DROWNING DEA ICA IN SOUTH AFR my first MAN copy of your SOLO YACHTSSAFETY TO BROUGHT RS AFTER 14 HOU magazine, Sea Rescue.

After readSman!s ing through OO MDieAGalaGteiaTslaaEn omLmet drie Koppe in Knysna it, I realised aan boord by Die that I made the right decision to donate to the NSRI on a monthly basis during your drive at the Liberty Midlands Mall, Pietermaritzburg.

I am really proud of the work that you do and, moreover, that every time you go out, you risk your lives to save the lives of others. To me you are all heroes.

May God give you the strength, courage and bravery to continue with the wonderful work.

SUVA PILLAY R14.95 | WINTER

2016 | FREE TO

NSRI MEMBERS

THE GRATITUDE OF THE HUMPBACK WHALE

WATERWISE

RESCUES

NSRI DIRECTORS CEO: Dr Cleeve Robertson EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS: Meriel Bartlett (Fundraising and Marketing), Mark Hughes (Operations), Mark Koning (Finance).

GOVERNANCE BOARD: Ronnie Stein (Chairman) MEMBERS: Deon Cloete, Viola Manuel, Chris Nissen, Dave Robins, Karl Otto, Rob Stirrat, Randall Titus.

OPERATIONAL BOARD MEMBERS: Justin Erasmus, Brad Geyser, Dick Manten, Hennie Niehaus, Eddie Noyons (Chairman), Dave Roberts. HONORARY LIFE GOVERNORS David Abromowitz, Peter Bacon, Allan Cramb, Howard Godfrey, Ian Hamilton, Chris Hudson, Brian Hustler, Ian Strachan, Hennie Taljaard.

4 / SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016

This is a true story!

Happened in Cape Point, An area known as Rocky Banks!

A nine-metre-long adult humpback whale Got entangled in fishing rope!

When released He came to his rescuers To give thanks!

August two thousand and sixteen!

A surreal and emotional moment happened Of a mental connection between Man and a whale I don’t think that before Has ever been seen!

It took the South African Whale Disentanglement Network volunteers Over six hours to cut the whale free!

What he did after that Has now created a story In the annals of maritime And human history!

Once all the ropes were removed The whale swam right next to the boat!

Then he gently placed his head on the gunnel While staying motionlessly afloat!

Staring at his rescuers In communication, eye to eye!

For twenty minutes With his head on the Sea Rescue craft he did lie!

Then swam off gently As if saying, thanks and goodbye!

The volunteers on board Such a situation they had never met!

A beautiful feeling mammal Gave them twenty minutes of silence That they will never forget!

We don’t realise their intelligence!

Second only to man!

Let us preserve them As they, like us Are an integral part of nature, God’s and the universe’s plan!

Forever on their minds These moments will impale!

The day that they were shown The gratitude of the humpback whale!

(Copyright DAVID NICOLL 30/8/2016)

Write to us and WIN! HERE’S TO A WONDERFUL SPEAKER As a sailor based in Durban for more than 40 years, I have always been aware of the tremendous work performed by NSRI. Fortunately I have never been in need of their assistance but it was always comforting to know they were on hand, especially as a sailing instructor with the responsibility of novices aboard.

My wife and I have been privileged over the past couple of years to have been members of your Life boat Circle and during this period have attended as many of the functions as possible.

In so doing we have become well acquainted with Janet Burgess and it would be very remiss of me not to place on record how absolutely impressed and delighted we have been by each and every one of the functions she organised.

She commands a wonderfully warm manner in her introductions and always includes a touch of humour.

Her delivery of the origins and purpose of NSRI is always interesting, never boring, with something new to add each time. She is quite a natural to her calling as she makes everyone feel part of a ‘family’, which NSRI is, in fact!

The organisation of the functions is always faultless and she is always very ably assisted by her good husband, Eric.

Janet’s responsibilities have increased with the greater area she now covers and we wish her every success in her endeavours. I would like to believe that the NSRI Head office team acknowledges her dedication and effort to the extent that it is warranted.

I can only wish continued success to the NSRI team and all it stands for.

IVAN BRINDLEY

The writer of the winning letter published in the Autumn 2017 issue of Sea Rescue will win a sumptuous hamper of Slaley wines valued at R750. This hamper can also be ordered from Slaley as a promotional gift or for a special occasion. For more information, call (021) 865 2123, visit www.slaley. co.za or pop by and see us on the corner of the R44 and Kromme Rhee Road outside Stellenbosch.

Send your letters to Sea Rescue magazine, PO Box 15054, Vlaeberg 8018. (Letters may be shortened, and the winning letter is chosen at the editor’s discretion.)

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COMMEMORATION

CELEBRATING

50

YEARS OF

VOLUNTEERING

‘We had more than 700mm of rain in a couple of days, and all the rivers came down in flood. The sea turned into this mass of floating vegetation.

There were hippos and crocs everywhere, cattle on the beaches, human corpses on the beach, dead and living dogs; there was so much debris about we couldn’t even use our vehicles on the beach.

‘In the middle of it all, the station got a mayday call from a solo yachtsman who was desperately battling his way to Richards Bay through giant swells. The seas were horrendous, the swell was bigger than 10m; it was unbelievable.

‘We were powering our way through to get to him and I had my head down checking the radar screen and the next moment it felt like I was being pushed down by a jet thrust. I looked up and we were completely airborne.’

Here is a collection of daring rescues filled with drama and danger. From burning ships to shark encounters and sinking trawlers, these are the stories of man’s constant battle with the sea.

(Published by Jonathan Ball Publishers.)

6 / SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016

R240

+ POSTAGE AND PACKAGING.

Available in all leading bookstores or direct from NSRI through mail order. Call 021 434 4011 to place your order or see the form on this issue’s flysheet.

REAL-LIFE RESCUE

Right: Paul Bevis is an experienced crewman with more than 30 years of rescue service under his belt.

T

he lightning flash and clap of thunder were a couple of seconds apart. Durban Sea Rescue coxswain Paul Bevis looked up through the sheeting rain as he pulled the top of his wetsuit over his shoulders. Standing on the bank of the Umlaas River, south of Durban, Paul was kitting up as fast as he could. Around him was controlled chaos, as is so often the case in the initial stages of a rescue.

The information that the rescue services had was that there were two young men trapped on an island in the flooded Umlaas. It was bitterly cold and pitch dark. Through the rain Paul could see the fire brigade rigging lights to illuminate the river while police moved the curious crowd back to give the rescue team room to work.

The rain had started in the greater Durban area at about 11am that morning. Paul, in his early 50s, has cropped grey hair and bright-blue eyes. An operations manager for a marine salvage company, he has almost 30 years of Sea Rescue experience and is a natural seaman – one of the people who you really want at your side when the chips

are down and the going gets tough.

On Monday 25 July, Paul was working in Durban’s harbour and had been watching the weather with a sense of foreboding. It had been raining too hard for too long.

At about 4pm his cellphone rang.

It was the police search-and-rescue unit. The rain had caused widespread flooding, and calls for people trapped in their vehicles and flooded houses were pouring in. Paul called out the Sea Rescue crew to help. And then, as his rescue gear is always in his personal four-wheel-drive vehicle, he headed to the nearest trapped person. It had been a long afternoon of fighting through gridlocked traffic and flooded roads to get to various incidents. Helping people out of their cars; pulling one bakkie out of a deep hole, with water completely covering the engine compartment; and telling other people not to drive through flood waters. When the call for the teenagers trapped in the Umlaas came in, Paul looked at his watch. It should have taken him about 15 minutes to get there, but the traffic chaos and flooded roads added an hour to that.

While waiting for the rescue crews to arrive at the Umlaas, an elderly local man had donned a thin personal flotation device and, taking a bodyboard with him, swum to the island. The youngsters, wearing only shorts and T-shirts, were

NEVER

GIVE UP

In July this year, heavy flooding in Durban and surrounds saw calls for help from people trapped in their vehicles and homes and along the swollen Umlaas River.

Paul Bevis and crew from Station 5 (Durban) went to assist. By Andrew Ingram 8 / SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016

hypothermic and, while the rescuers on the river bank were still preparing to launch a rescue effort, the man and the two boys entered the water to try swim across from the island. Almost immediately they were caught by the current and swept 80m downriver, where they were able to scramble to relative safety on a raft of flotsam in the middle of the river.

Once again they were trapped.

As Paul finished pulling on his kit he watched police search-and-rescue swimmer Jacobus ‘Koos’ van der Merwe enter the water to swim to the three. Well before Koos reached them his safety rope was tangled by debris washing down the river and he was forced to change focus.

He needed to free himself and untangle his rope before he could go on.

It was just after 7pm as Paul walked 100m upstream so that he could use the current to help him swim across to the casualties, who by now were in a very dangerous situation. Standing on the bank, Paul watched trees and branches washing past in the ink-black water. The river was in full flood. Lightning flashed through the rain and lit up the scene.

This was what Paul was waiting for. It allowed him to watch for a gap in the debris before he leapt into the river.

‘I used the current to take me across and then worked my way down to their position,’ said Paul.

SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016 /

00

REAL-LIFE RESCUE

10 / SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016

Shaka’s Rock Balito

La Mercy

UMDLOTI Camperdown 3 Ntshongweni

La Lucia

2

Hillcrest PINETOWN WESTVILLE 3 3 QUEENSBURGH

Natal Bay DURBAN CENTRAL The Bluff

CHATSWORTH

UMLAAS RIVER UMLAZI

2

Durban International Airport ISIPINGO BEACH

AMAMZIMTOTI Illovo Beach

under the water again. He didn’t even attempt to bring himself to the surface.

I felt around under the water and pulled him up. He was completely limp.”

Making sure that he would not do that again and that he was able to hold onto

the bush, Paul moved back into a position from where he could throw the bag to the other two. They helped by kicking, and soon were together in the relative safety of chest-deep water in the eddy.

Paul now needed to move them back into the fire brigade’s lights, where Koos was rigging ropes to bring them across the current and out of the river. First the old man and the young boy were taken

up and then Paul returned for the older boy. Holding him tightly in one arm, he swam upriver, staying out of the current.

‘Koos had got the rope across the river. When he joined us we found that the old man had tied the youngster to the bodyboard with a mass of rope. This was not exactly safe.’

As Paul and Koos were trying to untie the youngster, the old man moved off and swam across the river to the other side. Koos took the young boy with the bodyboard across and Paul waited for him to return to help with the older boy.

‘He was hypothermic and starting to black out,’ said Paul. Koos came back and the two men worked their way up the tree line before they entered the current. It was a short adrenaline-fuelled swim. Then it was all over as helping hands grabbed the youngster and lifted him out of the water. The rescue swimmers were exhausted.

‘I was very cold and my calves were cramping. My adrenaline was pumping and towards the end I just had to grit my teeth. It was a challenging rescue. But to give up was not an option,’ said Paul.

PHOTOGRAPH: CHRIS MCCARTHY/MAKENA

To Port Shepstone

‘I was worried that if I got too close they would try to grab onto me, which people sometimes do when they’re panicking. If that happened we’d be washed out of the fire department’s lights and enter an area that was unknown to us. That was just too dangerous.’ current in the relative safety of an eddy, but the boy was too hypothermic to help.

With his adrenaline flowing, Paul used all of his strength to push the boy to a bush, hoping that he would hold on.

‘He started trying to climb up the bush to get out of the water.’

Fearing that it would break, Paul shouted at him to stop – but it was too late.

‘The branch broke and he disappeared

To Richards Bay

Ndwedwe

To Pietermaritzburg

He stopped short of them and told them exactly what the plan was to rescue them.

‘I was worried that if I got too close they would try to grab onto me, which people sometimes do when they’re panicking. If that happened we’d be washed out of the fire department’s lights and enter an area that was unknown to us.

That was just too dangerous.’

Making sure that they understood him, Paul moved back into the tree line so that he could secure the line. He unhooked his throw bag and heaved the line across the gap to them.

‘The old man told the oldest boy to hold the rope.’

Paul started to pull him to safety. ‘As he came over the debris field he used his elbows to keep himself afloat. But as he came to the end of the debris field he wasn’t getting any buoyancy from it and he just went under the water. He was about 3m from me. He came up and made a feeble attempt to swim and I shouted at him “swim to me, swim to me!”

‘He disappeared under the water a second time. Again he came up. I kept shouting at him to swim towards me and he disappeared a third time.’

In desperation Paul lunged forward, found him under the debris and managed to grab him. The short swim back to safety was hard. They were on the edge of the

RIVER

SAFETY Station 5 (Durban) is often called to assist in areas that have become flooded. Paul Bevis compiled a few safety tips to keep in mind during such times. His colleague on station, Hymie Miya, translated them into isiZulu.

›› Don’t stand on the bank on the outside of a river bend as it might be getting undercut by the current and could collapse. ›› Ungami osebeni noma eceleni kwejika lomfula ngoba lizoguguleka libhodloke. ›› Stay more than 3m away from a fast-flowing river’s bank. ›› Ima kude ngamamitha amathathu noma ngaphezulu eceleni komfula ogcwele. ›› At a traditional river crossing, make a mark on a fixed known point where it is safe to cross. If the mark is under water, do not cross the river. ›› Ngokujwayelekile kuba nezinkomba ezibonakalayo lapho kunendawo yokuwela enamanzi angashoni. Uma lezinkomba zingabonakali, ungaweli.

PHOTOGRAPH: CHRIS MCCARTHY/MAKENA

›› When using a vehicle at a low-water bridge crossing, do not cross if the water level touches the bottom of the car. The car could wash off the bridge. ›› Ebhulohweni eliphansi lapho izimoto zinqamula emanzini, ungaweli uma amanzi ethinta ngaphansi kwemoto ngoba izophuma ebhulohweni imuke.

Photographs: andrew ingram

12 / Sea Rescue / SUMMER 2016

REAL-LIFE RESCUE

AMID THE

DEBRIS

When a fishing vessel started taking on water in foul – and dangerous – sea conditions just off Cape Recife, it took a concerted team effort from rescue services to save the lives of those on board. By Andrew Ingram

Photographs: andrew ingram

P

ort Elizabeth duty coxswain Jonathan Tufts looked out of his window as he took the call from Port Control. Rain was sheeting down, driven by a strong southeaster.

‘A fishing vessel seems to be in trouble a couple of miles off Cape Recife. But it’s not too serious at this stage,’ said the caller. He added that her sister vessel was on the way to assist. Jonathan thanked him and alerted Ian Gray, Port Elizabeth station commander.

Fifteen minutes later Port Control called back. ‘They now wanted us to respond,’ remembers Jonathan. ‘They wanted us to go alongside at that stage, to hold their hand.’ It was just after 2pm on Thursday 26 November 2015.

As Jonathan drove towards the rescue base, his first thought was that they would not be able to respond. ‘There was about 45 knots of wind at my house and the rain was coming in sideways. If it is in the bay we would be okay – but if not…

Meanwhile, Ian, who was at work, got the telephone and was gathering as much information as he could. He had talked to Port Control and the skipper of the fishing vessel that he now knew was called Baratz.

‘The skipper was fairly calm about it,’ says Ian. ‘They did not know what the problem was at that stage, other than they

had water rising in the bilges. And they could not stem it. They wanted pumps.’

Unfortunately Port Elizabeth’s 10m Search and Rescue vessel Spirit of Toft was out of commission. Which left the much smaller 7,3m rigid inflatable rescue boat Eikos Rescuer 4 to respond. ‘The idea was to get out there and stand by her.

Just in case. In the meantime a commercial vessel would run pumps out to her.’

At 15h25 Jonathan turned the bow of Eikos Rescuer 4 out of the shelter of the harbour. The wind-driven rain was lashing the crew, and visibility was close to zero. The four crew members – Jonathan at the helm, with Marizaan Booysen, Mark Boyers and John Fletcher – held on white-knuckled as the search-and-rescue vessel hammered through four-to-five-metre

At 15h25 Jonathan turned the bow of Eikos Rescuer 4 out of the shelter of the harbour. The winddriven rain was lashing the crew, and visibility was close to zero.

swells. The Baratz, they had been told, was now lying dead in the water about two miles off Cape Recife.

A private company, Xtreme Projects, offered to send their 9m cabin boat out with the pumps. Two of the Sea Rescue duty crew joined them. ‘As they got out of the harbour, they reported the sea to be uncomfortable,’ says Ian. ‘Before they left the shelter of the bay, and as they got closer to the casualty position, they said that the conditions were now on the edge of what their boat could handle.’

Ian told them to hold their position, not to go on. There was no point in landing up with two vessels in difficulty. ‘We could always send Eikos Rescuer 4 back to them to collect the pumps,’ says Ian. ‘At this point I was up at Port Control.’

Ian’s instinct was that this could turn nasty. The Port’s senior pilot had joined him, NSRI rescue swimmers had been sent to the Air Force’s 15 Squadron, and two helicopters were on standby.

Close to where he thought the Baratz to be, Jonathan throttled back and – almost miraculously – the mist lifted slightly and the rain stopped.

‘Suddenly we saw her silhouette and, although the weather closed in again, we were able to hold our course. A few minutes later we were alongside,’ recalls Jonathan.

Sea Rescue / SUMMER 2016 /

13

REAL-LIFE RESCUE Left to right: Station 6’s Ian Gray and Jonathan Tufts.

The Baratz’s sister ship, Helena Marie, had arrived and her crew decided to try and tow Baratz back into the safety of the bay. What they had not realised was that the towline had wrapped around the stricken vessel, and when they took the strain they pulled her backwards. On the third attempt things went badly wrong.

‘I had just been on the radio telling Ian that everything was okay when a wave washed over her stern,’ recalls John Fletcher. ‘Then a second wave and a third… The Baratz’s bow went up and the crew ran for their life rafts.’

John keyed the mic again and told Ian that she was sinking. ‘Do what you do best,’ Ian told him. And he scrambled the two 15 Squadron helicopters and a harbour tug to help in what was fast becoming an extremely dangerous rescue.

As the Baratz was going down by the stern, her crew, all wearing life jackets, started getting into two life rafts. ‘We moved to their stern so that we could watch that they got in safely,’ says Jonathan. ‘That’s when the portside life raft blew away and the guys jumped into the water.’

The first couple of men made the swim but for three it was just too far.

‘There was a wreckage field all around us and the waves were massive.

14 / Sea Rescue / SUMMER 2016

One after the other, feathering at the peak, they played havoc with the wreckage of the Baratz.

‘John,’ shouted Jonathan, ‘Go!’ John, the rescue swimmer on the crew, jumped into the water. Swimming hard for the man closest to the life raft, he grabbed his life jacket and towed him through the ropes and buoys to the safety of the life raft. And then back into the debris of the sinking fishing boat for the other two. The man closest to the sinking ship was his second target.

‘His life jacket was not done up properly,’ says John. He was holding it closed with one hand, waving to me with the other. I picked him up about 10m from the vessel and there was that down-pull from the sinking ship. It was like a whirlpool.

‘Swimming him back to the rescue boat was not easy. He must have weighed 150kg and was panicking. I literally had to swim him over the ropes,’ John recalls.

Waves crashed through the wreckage, threatening to tangle the two men in a mass of coils and buoys. Marizaan and Mark, hanging over the stern of the rescue boat, desperately tried to keep the ropes away from its propellers.

Because of sea conditions which

sometimes rolled the tug Mkuzi to a dangerous 50˚, it was decided that the only option to rescue the crew would be to airlift them from the life rafts and rescue boat. In an operation that lasted two hours, with John in the life raft, helping Air Sea Rescue swimmers Kevin Warren and Gareth De Vry, all of the fishermen were safely lifted to the temporary landing zone created at the beachfront restaurant Something Good.

It had been four hours at sea in epic conditions before all 25 fishermen were safely ashore. ‘We were finished,’ remembers John. ‘I sat down in the boat shed physically drained.’

‘I was really chuffed with them,’ adds Ian. ‘It was an operation that included so many different organisations and it worked like a charm.’

John Fletcher was awarded a Bronze Gallantry Award for his swims, which saved three lives.

The rescue-boat crew and the Air Sea Rescue crew were both awarded a Chief Executive Officer’s Letter of Appreciation for being part of the operation that saved the lives of 25 fishermen.

TECHNOLOGY

TUNING IN TO

TECHNOLOGY Efficiency, speed, constant communications, and crew and casualty safety are all vital during a rescue operation. Cherelle Leong takes a look at how Sea Rescue makes use of technology to achieve these goals.

F

ifty years ago rescue work required more grit than anything else, as crews relied on basic equipment and were largely exposed to the elements in their tiny boats. Today, however, technology is helping search and rescue (SAR) become more efficient, improving crew safety and helping to save more lives. At Sea Rescue we are always looking for ways in which technology can help us, from tracking devices to personal protection equipment (PPE) for crew, and several advancements have been implemented in recent years.

Having good communications is a vital part of rescue work. For close inshore work all NSRI vessels are fitted with

n

marine VHF radios. However, these generally have a range of only 20-30 nautical miles. Sometimes operations call us out as far as 70 nautical miles offshore to assist fishing or sailing vessels in distress. At these times we rely on communications via the nearest Port Control, which are efficient but not ideal.

New technology includes trunking radios from which calls to any cell or landline can be made. They have a far greater range and ensure that communications can be maintained with the rescue base at all times. A level up from this

is to have satellite phones. While this technology is very expensive to operate, it is worth it for some rescue stations that frequently get long-haul calls.

Stations that operate small 4,2m craft and rescue runners use handheld radios for communication, but as you can imagine this is often challenging in surf conditions. We have been testing helmet-integrated headsets that plug into handheld radios. This combination allows for almost-hands-free communications that are much clearer.

Unfortunately this technology, too, is very expensive and the headsets that are with-

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With the considerable amount of surfing, paddling and swimming activities that happen around our coast, combined with high levels of shark activity, each coastal rescue base has been equipped with a specific shark-bite medical kit.

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PHOTOGRAPHS: PAULA LEECH, SUPPLIED

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in our budget have proven not to be that robust, so the search for improved technology at an affordable price continues.

Medical protocols are also constantly changing and with it the equipment that is used.

For example, newer protocols suggest using vacuum mattresses to immobilise patients with suspected spinal injuries as opposed to neck braces and spine boards. Vacuum mattresses provide better immobilisation and are more comfortable for patients, so now most bases are equipped with at least one vacuum mattress on station.

In addition, with the considerable amount of surfing, paddling and swimming activities that happen around our coast, combined with high levels of shark activity, each coastal rescue base has been equipped with a specific shark-bite medical kit. The kit is portable so that it can be transported easily on noel nsri advert.pdf 1 2015/10/15 03:26:51 PM small fast-response craft such as rescue

Opposite page: Gal Chiles of Station 3 (Table Bay) using the trunking radio that improves long-range communications considerably.

Above: Vacuum mattresses have been introduced to most of the NSRI stations.

runners or 4,2m RIBs, and includes the bandages, tourniquets and resuscitation equipment typically needed to treat a shark-bite victim on the scene.

When doing CPR, an automated external defibrillator (AED) machine can analyse heart rhythm and advise on a

shock if required. While this is not a new device, Sea Rescue ensures that all bases have an AED with the latest technology.

Given that our rescue vessels often launch in rough conditions, crew safety is a high priority. In addition to purpose-designed rescue life jackets, each crew member has a personal locator beacon (PLB) that operates on the international marine automatic identification system (AIS) frequencies. In the event that a crew member goes overboard, the device can be activated and will show up on any nearby GPS chart plotter screen to direct searchers to the person’s location.

This equipment provides another level of safety for our rescue crew.

Operations director Mark Hughes and his team are constantly looking for ways to improve crew safety and rescue efficiency, and if there is technology available to help facilitate that, it will always be considered and tested.

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PHOTOGRAPHS: PAULA LEECH, SUPPLIED

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WATERWISE

WATERWISE IN

MAURITIUS V

iraj Ramharai, president van Surf Life Saving Mauritius, het die NSRI genader om ’n groep vrywilligers in Mauritius as WaterWise-instrukteurs op te lei. Met die hulp van Peter Bacon kon planne in werking gestel word en het die aantal nuwe WaterWise Instrukteurs vinnig gegroei.

Die opleiding het in die jeugsentrum van Tamarin in die weste van Mauritius plaasgevind. Die gebied is bekend vir plaaslike inwoners wat gereeld swem, visvang en die water geniet. Viraj het juis die program van stapel gestuur om ’n bewustheid by kinders en volwassenes te kweek om meer waterslim en veiligheidsbewus te wees, en sodoende verdrinkings te beperk.

18 / SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016

Drie groepe vrywilligers, wat swemafrigters, lewensredders, ouers en junior lewensredders insluit, is oor ’n tydperk van twee weke suksesvol opgelei. Die nuwe instrukteurs het ook natuurlik die geleentheid gekry om die teorie prakties toe te pas deur werkswinkels by skole en ’n swemklub in Port Louis aan te bied. Vir die nuwe instrukteurs was dit ’n totale nuwe ervaring om ’n les oor waterveiligheid aan kinders oor te dra, maar hulle het gou-gou besef hoe broodnodig hierdie WaterWise-opleiding is. Gedurende die twee weke is ongeveer 45 nuwe vrywilligers as WaterWise-instrukteurs opgelei, en 29 werkswinkels is aangebied wat deur meer as 650 kinders bygewoon is.

Die ontvangs en reaksie van Water-

Wise by die skole was onvergeetlik. Dit was ’n eerste in Mauritius. Die kinders was soos sponse wat net inligting wou opneem; ’n mens kon sien hoe die kinders se oë rek, en selfs die vrae en positiewe terugvoer van die onderwysers was hartroerend en verstommend. Almal was werklik dankbaar vir die nuwe program. Dit is duidelik dat verdrinking of amper-verdrinking ’n algemene verskynsel op die eiland is. Kennis oor hoe om in ’n noodgeval te reageer, ontbreek in die meeste gevalle. ‘Kinders hardloop weg en wil nie betrokke raak nie,’ was die onmiddellike antwoord van ’n onderwyser. Kinders het ook genoem dat daar wel reddingsbaadjies op elke boot is, maar niemand

FOTO’S: VERSKAF

Die noodsaaklikheid om verdrinking te voorkom en kinders waterveiligheid te leer, en ’n aanloop van beplanning vloei uiteindelik saam in ’n unieke gebeurtenis: WaterWise na Mauritius! Eoudia Erasmus vertel verder.

gebruik dit nie! Hulle swem ook gereeld sonder volwasse toesig en besef nie hoe gevaarlik die see is nie. ’n Besoek aan die Minister van Staatsdienskommissie, Mnr Alain Wong, asook die kantore van die Ministerie van Jeug en Sport, was voorwaar ’n besonderse voorreg. Dit is ’n riem onder die hart om te weet dat WaterWise hulle volle ondersteuning geniet. Dit is dan ook met die ondersteuning en hulp van die jeugwerker Deepa Boodhoo en haar kollegas dat kinders en jongmense van Mauritius die geleentheid gaan kry om WaterWise by verskeie jeugsentrums te bevorder en sodoende waterveiligheid aan almal te leer. Daar word reeds ’n WaterWise vakansieprogram by Flic en Flac, ’n strand wat gewild is onder toeriste en plaaslike inwoners, beplan.

Tydens my besoek aan Mauritius het ’n bootjie aan die ooskus van die eiland omgeslaan en vier mense het verdrink.

Reddingsbaadjies was afwesig. ’n Paar dae later was daar weer ’n berig in die

foto’s: verskaf

Oorkant: Tydens ’n skooluitstappie het WaterWise-instrukteurs die geleentheid gebruik om die kinders waterveiligheid te leer.

Bo: Ben Sebin en Micheal Hingah, nuwe instrukteurs, demonstreer hoe Hands-Only CPR gedoen word. Bo regs: Leerders van St Benoit Primêre Skool leer hoe om ’n maatjie te red.

koerant: ‘Bootjie het omgeslaan; gelukkig is mense na veiligheid gebring.’ Dit is gevalle soos hierdie wat ons almal – en díe eilandbewoners, vir seker – laat besef hoe belangrik die WaterWise-projek is.

Daar was egter geen vervelige oomblikke nie: afgesien van die opleiding wat vir die meer-as-entoesiastiese en gewillige nuwe instrukteurs aangebied is, die skole en swemplekke wat besoek is, opgewondenheid oor WaterWise T-hemde

wat deur Mnr Bacon geborg is, en kinders wat vinnig ’n WaterWise-liedjie aanmekaarslaan, is ek ook bederf met ’n verrassingsafsluitingspartytjie. Heerlike kos, sega-danse en spontane kinders wat vir my hulle taal wil leer, het diep in my hart gekruip. ’n Sertifikaat-oorhandigingseremonie wat na afloop van die opleiding plaasgevind het, het gesorg vir ’n groot opgewondenheid. Van die spesiale gaste wat dit bygewoon het, was die Ministerie van Jeug en Sport, die President- en Polisie-superintendent van Tamarin, die skoolhoofde van die betrokke skole asook Mnr en Mev Bacon. Met die ondersteuning van laasgenoemdes sal Viraj, wat die hartklop van WaterWise in Mauritius is, die projek suksesvol verder kan uitbrei en sodoende ’n bewustheid van waterveiligheid by al sy mense kweek.

Laastens wil ek graag byvoeg dat die gasvryheid van die plaaslike eilandbewoners in ’n klas van sy eie is. Pragtige, leergierige kinders en eindelose, skitterwit strande omring deur koraalriwwe wat wemel van lewe roep my beslis terug. Óf vir WaterWise, óf vir ’n vakansie!

To read the English version of the story, go to www.nsri.org.za/2016/10/mauritius/ Sea Rescue / SUMMER 2016 /

19

IN THE NEWS

SWIMMING THE WORLD’S SEVEN OCEANS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE Toni Enderli is taking on a three-year challenge and will be raising funds for NSRI and our WaterWise Academy.

‘I began open-water swimming in 2009.

The freedom, connection with nature and pure challenge associated with it had me right from the start – I was hooked.

Open-water swimming has taught me that it does not matter how old or young you are, nothing is impossible and whatever you put your mind to you can achieve.

Next year I will attempt to complete the Catalina Channel swim off the coast of California in the US. Following this challenge, I will face the Molokai

20 / SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016

Channel off the Island of Hawaii.

In 2018 I will attempt Cook Strait situated between the North and South Islands of New Zealand, followed by the Tsugaru Strait, which connects the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean between Honshu and Hokkaido in Northern Japan.

‘No matter what you have gone through in your life or what you are currently going through, you have the opportunity to grow from it.’

In 2019, the final leg, I will face the North Channel, which is the strait between Northeast Ireland and Southwest Scotland.

No matter what you have gone through in your life or what you are currently going through, you have the opportunity to grow from it. Reflection is the key in never making the same mistake again. These words have helped me get through my toughest times. I will live by them for the next five years.’

To track his journey and to see the impact on our fundraising programme, visit http://toni.co.za/extremeswim/#7oceans

NEWS

LEADERSHIP

From left to right: Mike Beamish (founder), Ashleigh Sandes and Mark Everdij

WELCOME, PRAESIDIUM! seek the enjoyment of the ocean sports, Mike Beamish, founder of Praesidium we recognise the risks associated with Capital Management, says, ‘At Praesidithe sea. The NSRI and all the unpaid um we believe that successful long-term volunteer crews donate their time, selfinvestment partnerships are founded on lessly risking their the alignment of mutuown lives in order al interests. Invest‘The NSRI needs our to carry out rescues ment risk and rewards support and all ocean and manage the stashould be shared by tions. We are proud both manager and goers might need to call client. That is why we on them one day. So when to be able to assist some vital mitigate client risk by we were asked to support with financial support, ensuring that we are the volunteers, it wasn’t a without which the the largest investors difficult decision for us.’ organisation simply in our own funds. could not exist.

Similarly, we believe ‘The NSRI needs that the National Sea our support and all Rescue Institute needs ocean goers might long-term partners in need to call on them order to execute their one day,’ Mike continues. ‘So when we own mandate in the future. Most of our were asked to support the volunteers, clients are frequent recreational ocean it wasn’t a difficult decision for us.’ users, as indeed are we. While we all

Our crew held elections this year, voting in their new station commanders.

Many were re-elected and have agreed to serve another three-year term of office; at other bases we welcome new members to the position. Being a station commander is a demanding job and we appreciate all those who step forward, willing to serve.

New station commanders: St 3 (Table Bay) – Dr Quentin Botha St 9 (Gordon’s Bay) – Alan Meiklejohn St 16 (Strandfontein) – Vaughn Seconds St 21 (St Francis) – Sara Smith St 22 (Vaal Dam) – Dirk Manten St 23 (Wilderness) – Robert van Helsdingen St 24 (Lamberts Bay) – Christo Filander St 27 (Victoria Lake) – Gerhard Potgieter St 33 (Witsand) – Theo Erasmus St 38 (Theewaterskloof) – Grant Ekermans

APOLOGY

On page 14 of our Winter issue we featured an account of a tragedy that took place at Diepsloot. This was a very difficult and emotionally draining search for our rescue crew and we incorrectly credited the crew as Station 27 (Hartbeespoort Dam) instead of Station 27 (Victoria Lake). Our sincere apologies and thanks to the crew for their dedication under very challenging circumstances.

PLATINUM SPONSORS

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SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016 /

21

NEWS

THANK YOU...

To the Rola Group in Somerset West, which contacted our crew in Hermanus and offered to donate a computer for their control room. Representatives drove out personally to do the installation, take a tour and meet the crew. We really appreciate this personal interest in the work we do and we look forward to an ongoing friendship.

From left to right: Charl Lennoxtown, William Visage, Deon Langenhoven and Hugo Groete Walden.

To the Western Cape Government’s Department of Disaster Management, which has sponsored the Swift Water training and equipment.

To Massimo and Sue Mariotti of Salinas Beach Restaurant who so faithfully make a generous deposit to support Station 23 (Wilderness) each and every month. This kind gesture means a lot to us.

TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE

CELEBRATING YOUR 50TH IN 2017?

Join the party – if you were born in 1967 you will be celebrating your 50th with us. Theme your party around NSRI and we’ll publish your favourite picture of you and your friends in our next Sea Rescue magazine. If you’re not really one for birthdays, perhaps you would like to encourage your friends to donate to your favourite rescue base instead of buying gifts. We’d be very grateful.

22 / SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016

Fine & Country Knysna would like to extend a huge thank you to its team, its pledges and sponsors and all involved in helping their team of warriors across the finish line of the Trans Baviaans Challenge 2016. They completed 230km in under 18 hours, taking on rocky foothills, cold weather and the dark – not to mention some cramps and falls. Thank you to all who supported this initiative to raise funds for Station 12 (Knysna). They raised just shy of R15 000. Impressively, our own Station 12 doctor, Dr Berend Maarsingh (pictured below left), has completed all 13 Trans Baviaans events. Well done, Doc!

NEWS Mike Sema, CSI, Events and Sponsorship Manager (far right) with Budget brand ambassadors.

budget on board Budget Rent a Car is delighted to announce its partnership with Sea Rescue. Assistance with car hire will give us the means to take care of the day-to-day logistics of travel for fundraising and training purposes throughout the year. Rainer Gottschick, CEO of Budget Rent a Car Southern Africa, says, ‘Budget is proud to be partnering with one of South Africa’s most renowned non-profit organisations, which contributes towards saving lives and teaches previously disadvantaged children about basic water safety.’

Call for Afrikaans writers We are looking for Afrikaans writers to add to our pool of journalists. We would love to hear from you if you have experience in newspaper and incident reporting journalism and are proficient in Afrikaans.

Please email a sample of your work and a covering letter to Wendy Maritz at wmaritz@tppsa.co.za

ITEM 2017

2018

14m craft

Durban R19 million

Simon’s Town R15 million

10.6m RIB

Mykonos R3.5 million

8.5m RIB

Knysna R2 million

6.5m RIB

Mossel Bay R1.35 million

Sealegs

R1 million

4.2m

Gordon’s Bay, Mossel Bay,

Witsand, Yzerfontein

R235 000 each

Rescue vehicles

Gordon’s Bay, Hout Bay,

Mossel Bay, Hermanus,

Durban, Knysna, Melkbos-

strand R440 000 each

Yzerfontein, Jeffreys Bay

R100 000 each

St Francis, Durban R2 million

2019

2020 Richards Bay R18 million

Shelly Beach R2.3 million

CAPEX plans,

subject to funding and dependent on changing needs

Boathouse projects Gordon’s Bay, Hermanus,

Durban R1 million each

Simon’s Town R2.5 million

Port St John’s R500 000

St Francis R200 000

Theewaterskloof R25 000

Slipway projects

Mykonos R700 000

East London R500 000

Mossel Bay R2 million

24 / Sea Rescue / SUMMER 2016

Corporate and specialist insurance, reinsurance and employee benefits broker with a dedicated team of boating insurance experts Our range of insurance products are designed to cater for all your boating insurance requirements. www.za.jlt.com T: + 27 (0)11 361 000

INSURING YOUR LIFESTYLE Jardine Lloyd Thompson (Pty) Ltd and Eikos Risk Applications (Pty) Ltd are Authorised Financial Services Providers and Members of the JLT Group pic.

LIFE BOAT CIRCLE From left to right: Jeremiah Jackson, John Nichols, Janet Burgess, Dorian Robertson and Clifford Ireland at Richards Bay’s 40th anniversary.

COME JOIN US! We were bequeathed a cottage in McGregor and our rescue crew are invited to holiday there with their families for a nominal fee. We look forward to hosting our supporters there on Thursday 23 February 2017.

Call Natasha on 021 434 4011 for more information.

Above: (from left) Mr and Mrs Proctor with Julie Madison.

Below: (from left) Anne Collinge, Dee Vowles and Linda Ashton at the Kloof Country Club function.

TEAS AND TOURS LINE-UP Please join us at an event near you, or ring Natasha to enquire when we will be in your area.

Tuesday 17 January Station 9 (Gordon’s Bay) Saturday 11 February Station 34 (Yzerfontein) Tuesday 21 February Station 5 (Durban) Wednesday 8 March Station 31 (Still Bay) Thursday 9 March Station 30 (Agulhas) Friday 10 March Station 33 (Witsand) Saturday 25 March Station 16 (Strandfontein) Saturday 15 April Station 4 (Mykonos) Tuesday 25 April Station 6 (Port Elizabeth) Thursday 27 April Station 14 (Plettenberg Bay) Friday 28 April Station 12 (Knysna) Booking essential – please call Natasha on 021 434 4011 or email natasha@searescue.org.za

Above: (from left) Susan Winterbach and Elizabe and Gerard de Groot.

Right: (from left) Fish Hoek Probus’s Selwyn Lange, Keith Hayward and David Schroenn.

THANK YOU FOR THE DONATIONS RECEIVED BIRTHDAYS: Adam Whittington (50th), Stella Kitay (80th).

IN HONOUR AND MEMORY OF: Henry Mory, Glen Aquadro, Carol Syndercombe, Anthony Webb, Sylvia Mitchell, Noel Maddock, Kathy Penn, Peter Tighe.

ASHES LOG: Station 10 (Simon’s Town): Frits M Verhoeven; Station 5 (Durban): Louie Zwart (Durban) 26 / SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016

A special thank you to The St James of Knysna and Moontide in Wilderness who offered Kim Gresse free accommodation during her trip to visit our supporters. We really appreciate your kindness.

Left: The ladies from Fernbridge.

CREW STORIES

NEW

STATION ON BOARD W

hile it may rank at an unassuming seventh place on the list of South Africa’s largest dams, Theewaterskloof is recognised as something of a civil engineering feat.

Built in 1978, it links the Riviersonderend and Berg River catchment areas, funnelling surplus water from the surrounding mountains via a system of tunnels.

Known as an earth-fill dam, its irregular shoreline is characterised in places by submerged plantations, whose treetops emerge from time to time above the water level, as well as craggy rocks, sandy shores, pine trees and little inlets – all surrounded by the glorious mountains of the Overberg.

It’s idyllic, attracting people in their droves to nearby towns and the dam’s established recreational areas at Gloria Bay, the Theewater Sports Club (TSC) and Theewaterskloof Country Estate to, quite literally, lap up the expanse of water and the activities on offer. You can waterski all day long, I am told, but even on a drizzly, cold spring day, like the one when I visited, there is plenty to absorb and enjoy, especially from the

28 / SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016

rustic comfort of the Theewater Sports Club where the NSRI’s new rescue base, Station 38, is situated.

The base opened on 3 September with a core crew of five people. Plans are under way to recruit volunteers from the surrounding areas, with training being facilitated by the base’s sister station at Hermanus. ‘At the moment,’ explains station commander Grant Ekermans,

STATION 38 CREW MEMBERS Station commander: Grant Ekermans Deputy station commander: Kuba Miszewski Administration: Mary-Ann Sharwood Equipment: Shane Wiscombe Training: Neil Ashton

‘We have a midweek team on standby and a weekend team.’ The establishment of the base is a collaboration between the Theewater Sports Club, of which Grant and deputy station commander Kuba Miszewski are both members, and the NSRI. While the club has always had a safety officer on duty to ensure the wellbeing of people using the water and facilities, a ‘broader preventative and reactive rescue service became necessary for the entire dam area’, explains NSRI CEO Dr Cleeve Robertson.

Was there a particular incident that prompted this? I ask Kuba. The story he tells is somewhat unbelievable. Fatalities on the dam are rare, Grant had explained to me, and calls for assistance are generally from boaters who have run aground, crashed into treetops or run out of fuel.

More severe accidents have taken place as people launch from their homes on the dam, or illegally from deserted patches of shore. But the deciding factor involved a young couple who decided to launch a GRP speed boat with their four-monthold baby on board, Kuba recalls. They had no safety equipment, no life jackets and, as it turned out, neither had a skipper’s licence. They strapped their baby into a car seat, which they then secured onto the boat. Having barely launched, the vessel capsized, with the baby still secured

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Station 38 (Theewaterskloof Dam) opened on 3 September this year.

We chatted to the new station commander and deputy about what prompted the need for a rescue base in the area. By Wendy Maritz

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Left: (from left to right) Mary-Ann Sharwood, commodore of watersport at TSC; NSRI CEO Dr Cleeve Robertson; Bev le Sueur, chairperson of South African Sailing Western Cape; and deputy station commander Kuba Miszewski.

oversee the safety of the people using the dam. ‘There is a much larger volume of recreation activities on fresh water as compared with the sea,’ explains Dr Robertson. ‘And while the traditional maritime hazards are absent, and the water is deemed calmer, the risk of accidents and drowning is an ever-present concern.’

People may also assume – incorrectly – that safety standards for boat users don’t apply to dams and lakes.

The establishment of the base aims to formalise the reactive rescue service, as

inside. Frantic calls for help went out to the safety officer, and then to the main clubhouse, and Kuba and his son, Henio, rushed out on the club’s safety boat to save the infant’s life. Fortunately he survived, because of the swift response and lifesaving skills of his rescuers.

Shortly afterwards, Kuba made contact with his long-time friend and erstwhile Wilderness Search and Rescue colleague Dr Robertson about establishing a proactive service, in the form of a rescue base, which could

well as extend the WaterWise footprint, which teaches water safety and what to do in emergency situations to children attending rural schools in the greater Overberg area where there are numerous farm dams and rivers, Dr Robertson adds.

Theewaterskloof Dam hosts a number of regattas throughout the year, as well as bass fishing competitions, triathlons and music festivals, and has a resident sailing school where Grant and Kuba are involved as instructors. Together, their knowledge of sailing, both commercially and for leisure, spans decades. And it was as a youngster of 16 that Kuba joined the mountain rescue service. So, there’s a wealth of experience there, and with that comes the ability to respond calmly and systematically in emergency situations on the dam. That is most apparent to me after meeting them both.

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SAR INVESSELS THE

PIPELINE

I

n October 2016 work was set to begin on the radically new design SAR ORC140 large rescue vessel for NSRI Station 5 (Durban). This craft is to be the first replacement of the nine large SAR vessels in the NSRI fleet countrywide that will be phased in over the next 16 years. Currently seven of the nine vessels are a Lochin design, originally part of the British Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) fleet. They are built for heavy seas and have served our crews well. However, they were built in the 1980s and have therefore been in service for more than 30 years. Despite refits, given how technology and design have changed in that time, a succession plan for these boats was needed, to include newer design options and technology.

The process began two years ago, with the search for a design with a proven track record as a search-and-rescue or working vessel. As no local companies could meet this requirement, the focus shifted overseas. Consulting with the British, French, Dutch and Swedish sea

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rescue organisations, operations director Mark Hughes and Durban station commander Clifford Ireland visited various rescue bases to see what was being used. Five and then three designs were shortlisted before technical specifications were evaluated according to the types of rescues conducted and conditions experienced along our South African coast.

Of the three shortlisted designs, one stood out. Already used extensively by the French Sea Rescue Institute (SNSM) and in Australia and Europe as pilot vessels, the ORC design is a purposebuilt working vessel able to maintain good speeds and stability as well as crew comfort and safety, even in extremely rough sea conditions. The design is radically different, with a shallow keel and sharp double-chined bow that cuts through the water, reducing the vertical acceleration of the vessel going over a swell. With less pounding and vibration, it has better sea-keeping characteristics in both a following and head-on sea. The design enables the craft to maintain a

speed above 20 knots, even in big choppy swells, because it sits lower in the water, cutting through it. The semidisplacement hulls of the Lochins struggle to achieve a maximum speed of 12-18 knots in similar conditions.

Another important feature of the SAR ORC140 design is that it is self-righting, provided that the aft door to the cabin is closed. As none of the nine vessels in Sea Rescue’s current fleet are self-righting, this is an important safety feature. In addition, shock-mitigating seats for all six crew provides more comfort, meaning they will be less likely to become fatigued and more able to fulfil their roles when they arrive on scene. The SAR ORC140 specification takes this comfort factor even further by having the wheelhouse entirely separate from the hull, joined to it by a polyelastamine mounting. This feature significantly reduces the vibration and noise from the engines being felt in the wheelhouse. Also the transfer to the wheelhouse of any jarring of the hull

PHOTOGRAPH AND DRAWINGS: SUPPLIED

Operational efficiency and crew safety were top of mind when research began to replace NSRI’s search and rescue (SAR) vessels. Cherelle Leong spoke to operations director Mark Hughes about the final design chosen.

DEVELOPMENTS

PHOTOGRAPH AND DRAWINGS: SUPPLIED

as it moves through the water is greatly reduced because the motion is absorbed by the mounting. It’s also been specified that the maximum noise intensity at the level of the coxswain’s ear should be no more than 76 decibels, so that even when underway at maximum revs the crew can communicate easily. This result will be achieved by placing vibration dampeners on the engines and acoustic insulation in the engine room to muffle the sound. If the hatch to the forward cabin is closed, it reduces the noise intensity in the wheelhouse even further.

Both the wheelhouse and forward cabin will be air-conditioned and a special feature is that the starboard seats fold down flat so that a stretcher can be mounted. This aspect will facilitate easier treatment of patients as opposed to working on the floor or out on the exposed deck. A three-tiered communication system on board will include marine VHF radios, a trunking radio and a satellite phone when required, ensuring that communication can be maintained with the base at all times. Navigation equipment incorporates a chart plotter that integrates with AIS, GPS and radar.

All these electronics will be the best and latest technology Sea Rescue can afford.

Electrical systems will be as simple and user friendly as possible to operate.

Swimmer platforms off the stern, combined with a ladder, will make it easier to recover patients from the water. On the port side a davit system with a 270degree rotation can lift a stretcher out of the water onto the deck. Every detail is designed to make rescue work more efficient based on our experience.

The first vessel will be built in France and will serve as the benchmark, weighing in at 17 tonnes fully fitted and 19 tonnes with a full fuel load.

The intention is that the remaining large vessel fleet replacements will be produced under licence by a local boatbuilding manufacturer in order to reduce costs and invest in the local economy. The ORC design will have a big impact on our rescue operations, improving crew safety and operational efficiency.

We look forward to Station 5 receiving the first SAR ORC140 at the end of 2017.

SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016 /

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T

he sound of water rushing over stones roused me. It was a happy sound. I opened my eyes.

In front of me, from ceiling to floor, hung an off-white curtain.

A silhouette of a man who was leaning forward, bent over, perhaps from pain, was projected onto it. I looked to the right and saw the source of the sound that woke me. It was a humidifier through which oxygen was running. I groaned and turned onto my back.

Looking up at the white ceiling, I thought of PJ O’ Rourke, one of my favourite writers, and the book that he titled Holidays in Hell. I love his Gonzo style of writing, laugh at his disregard for society, his selfeffacing writing style, and am amazed at his capacity for drinking and drugging while on the job.

My family and our travelling companions had planned this holiday in Botswana for over a year.

And here I was in a Gaborone hospital. The holiday in heaven that took a sharp turn to the left. Instead of the endless game and beauty of the delta that we had planned to see, I spent a lot of time with some wonderful people. Mostly medical people.

Across the ward from me lay The Asthmatic. He had been wheeled into my ward barely able to breathe.

Next to The Asthmatic was The Vampire. He was in for a blood transfusion, and although a man of few words, his doctor always arrived first in the morning, and in a loud voice would ask, ‘So how is The Vampire this morning?’ To my right was Mr Dialysis. The shadow man. And, most importantly, to my left was the toilet.

I was in hospital instead of in the Okavango Delta, because I had gastro. The worst gastro that I had ever experienced. It was so bad that I was airlifted from Maun to Gaborone. Flown in a turbo-prop. The mercy flight across the Central Kalahari Game Reserve took an hour-and-a-half for me, but it took my family and the fellow travellers who kindly escorted them 11 hours to circumnavigate. Botswana is a vast country of great beauty. And very kind people.

The story started about 10 days before my arrival at Gaborone’s Bokomaso Private Hospital, at a wonder-

On a recent trip to Botswana, Andrew Ingram and his travelling companions discovered a land of exceptional beauty and generous people.

EXPERIENCE

BOTSWANA 32 / SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016

TRAVEL

Steve edged the boat so close to elephant that we could count their eyelashes, as well as within metres of fish eagles, Nile monitors, Nile crocodiles, kudu, pied kingfishers and chacma baboons.

Main image: Just before the sunset, elephant swim across the Chobe River to graze on Sedudu island between Namibia and Botswana.

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ful camp called Nambwa in Namibia’s Caprivi Strip. We had set up camp on the bank of the river. Fallen tree trunks lay between the river and our tents to prevent the hippos from coming out there to graze. They don’t have knees, you see, so they can’t lift their legs to climb over the logs. However, that did not stop them coming out close to our camp after sunset.

Our cooking fire was roaring when two of our party decided to walk to the ablution block a couple of hundred metres away. Darkness had settled in and our little group was happy. The company was good, food was on the way and it was the most spectacular camp that we had visited so far.

Minutes later the two youngsters sprinted back into our camp, out of breath. As they left the protection of our camp they had sensed an animal in the bush, and there, perhaps five metres from them, stood a hippo. They both instantaneously and completely lost interest in the ablution block.

Later that night I woke up with a pain in my gut. I needed to get to that ablution block. Fast.

And there was no way that I was going to risk the walk. I jumped into my bakkie and drove. It was the beginning of the end of our holiday.

The next day, driving through the Ngoma Gate border post was a pleasure.

The Botswana officials, as usual, were efficient and polite.

We paid our entry fees, disinfected our shoes against foot-and-mouth disease, handed over our fresh uncooked meat at the vet fence and drove into the Chobe

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Game Reserve.

We had been told that Chobe was Botswana’s Garden of Eden and it was easy to see why.

With four-wheel drive engaged, we battled through very thick sand tracks in a mopani forest. The heavily laden vehicles bucked and bounced in the sand and over corrugations that threatened to break anything not properly tied down. As suddenly as we entered the sand, so we came out the other end with a magnificent vista over the Chobe River opening up.

The game viewing was spectacular.

Elephant, giraffe, kudu, zebra, crocodiles. All within metres of our little convoy.

That night we pitched our tents at Senyati. About 20 minutes outside the small town of Kasane, Senyati is extremely popular with overlanders.

The attraction is a man-made waterhole that pulls animals each evening.

Especially elephants. A cunningly made underground hide lets you get very close to the waterhole, the ground-level angle of view giving you the feeling of sitting between the feet of these giants.

Our campfire was burning down when my daughter got up, took a few paces towards the kitchen and passed out. The sound of her hitting the sand was like something out of a movie. I leapt out of my chair and knelt next to her. She was porcelain white. As we started to lift her to her feet she opened her eyes, looked at me and said, ‘Okay. That was not good.’ We helped her sit upright and she started vomiting.

By 22h30 that night we were running out of options. We had been unable to stop the vomiting, even with our substantial medical kit. She needed a hospital. She needed a drip.

Before our trip we had been told on numerous occasions: never drive at night. You can’t see animals in the road.

In desperation, I found July, one of the Senyati security guards who walk around the camp perimeter all night, and asked about a hospital in Kasane.

Without hesitation he offered to guide us there. It was one of the most stressful drives of my life. A very sick child in the back of the bakkie, an unknown route

PHOTOGRAPHS: ANDREW INGRAM

TRAVEL

Photographs: ANDREW INGRAM

and the danger of animals in the road.

‘Elephant,’ July warned.

I braked hard. We were doing around 40km/h and from that experience I understood just how hard it is to see elephant in the road at night. The journey that takes about 20 minutes in daylight took us about 45 minutes. We drove passed kudu, hyena and a couple of elephant. Each time I braked and drove around the animals that stood still looking at the headlights.

At last we arrived at the Kasane Hospital. Built in the 1950s, it was a little run-down and we were apprehensive until we met the professional male nurse who was on duty. An angel. A man with a calling. In the stress of the situation we never did get his name, but while we sat and watched the fluid running through the drip we talked about the magnificent country that Botswana is. And how kind and generous her people are. A huge smile spread across his face. ‘You must come back in September,’ he said. ‘It’s our 50 years of independence celebration. It will be a month-long party…’

Two days later we waved our travelling companions goodbye as they left for the delta. It was not a trip that my daughter or I would be able to make this time. We would head south on the tar.

Top left: As the sun dips into Namibia, a mass of insects hatch on the Chobe River, giving the birds their evening feast. Top: In the early evening the waterhole at Senyati is a mass of elephants, and often wildebeest, that make the trek to drink. One of the highlights of our trip was the underground hide. There are not many places that you can get so close to animals drinking at a waterhole. Above: Andrew watches over Donna as she is treated for dehydration at Kasane hospital.

And, for his masterstroke, Steve throttled back in a channel so that we could watch elephant family groups swim across to an island to feed. His knowledge of the area and its animals was inspirational.

Our treat before leaving Senyati and Kasane was a boat trip on the Chobe. And what a good call that was. Steve, the skipper of the aluminium-hulled boat, was a natural on the helm. He guided us through a ‘Garden of Eden’ experience second to none. Steve edged the boat so close to elephant that we could count their eyelashes, as well as within metres of fish eagles, Nile monitors, Nile crocodiles, kudu, pied kingfishers and chacma baboons. And, for his masterstroke, Steve throttled back in a channel so that we could watch elephant family groups swim across to an island to feed. His knowledge of the area and its animals was inspirational.

As twilight set in (the sun rises in Botswana and sets in Namibia, Steve had told us with a laugh), the engine roared at full throttle and we were on our way back to Kasane. We had scarves wrapped around our faces to protect us from the cold and insects rising off the river, and our hearts sang in tune with Botswana.

Days later I would meet the paramedic who is called Germany, and in his care, in the middle of the night, I would be flown across the Central Kalahari Game Reserve effectively ending our holiday. But what an experience…

Beautiful country and beautiful people – we will be back.

Sea Rescue / SUMMER 2016 /

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TRIP TO RNLI

WALES REVISITED Jeffreys Bay crew member Kenyon Clegg visited his childhood home in North Wales. Aside from experiencing many fond memories, he spent a memorable day at the local RNLI station.

Top: Picturesque Porthdinllaen on the Irish Sea. Right: The impressive rescue vessel John D Spicer launches.

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Photographs: BEVERLEY CLEGG, Dylan Thomas

‘I

f you can be here on a Wednesday, our training day, we’ll take you on a tour of the Porthdinllaen lifeboat station and out to sea on our new boat,’ wrote media liaison and crew member Mali Parry-Jones in her email to me back in Jeffreys Bay. I had tracked down Mali on the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) website and was thrilled to get her invitation to the station in my late mother’s home village in North Wales. I was preparing for a visit to family in the UK. Porthdinllaen lies facing the Irish Sea on the Lleyn Peninsula and as a child I used to visit the boathouse nestled in a cove and watch the then lifeboat rumble

Photographs: BEVERLEY CLEGG, Dylan Thomas

down the slipway. Now I was to watch the new boat, John D Spicer (RNLI 16-24) do the same thing, only this time I would be aboard.

The vivacious Mali was as good as her word when she and senior coxswain Mike Davies met us at the cliff-top golf club to take us down to the station in the RNLI Land Rover. The boathouse and slipway are brand-new and have been built on the same spot as the old one at a cost of £9.8 million.

On entering, we were faced with a cavernous space and the new Tamar class boat in RNLI colours held in place on the slipway by cables, as though it was champing at the bit to get to the water.

Mike Davies and press officer Dylan Thomas (oh, these lovely Welsh names!) took my wife and me on a tour of the station and boat. I was speechless.

‘She’s a 16,3m-long self-righting boat with a top speed of 25 knots,’ said Mike, ‘and has two 1 000hp diesel engines.’

I wondered how much fuel they’d use and, reading my thoughts, Mike continued, ‘She has a fuel capacity of 4 600 litres and a range of 250 nautical miles.’

She had cost £2,7 million. An amazing fact is that she has a survivor capacity of 44 but without self-righting capability can accommodate 118 survivors!

It was time to launch and I was kitted out with a life jacket and strapped into a shock-absorbing front window seat in the watertight wheelhouse.

With earphones on I could hear the commands going back and forth before the boat was let loose to slide down the slipway. With a computer screen in front of me I felt like a Boeing pilot as

Clockwise from top left: John D Spicer in the boathouse; the vessel has a range of 250 nautical miles; Kenyon with his wife, Beverley, and senior coxswain Mike Davies.

the water came rushing up to me with a splash and spray on the windscreen, the powerful engines vibrated underfoot and thrust the boat out into the bay. Down there with me was Alan Parry, the mechanic, checking the motors’ operating statistics on a screen in front of him. As soon as we were under way we were allowed up on deck to carry out the day’s training. Mike, a vastly experienced coxswain, arranged a variety of recoveries of volunteer bodies in the water. In utter amazement I watched crew launch their inflatable ‘daughter’ boat hidden under her aft deck, and, deployed from a hinged door in her transom, down she went and off to the rescue! After an hour and a half it was time to bring home the

In utter amazement I watched crew launch their inflatable ‘daughter’ boat, hidden under her aft deck, and deployed from a hinged door in her transom, down she went and off to the rescue!

orange-and-blue beauty. Mike steered her stern first to the slipway and with an exchange of ropes and cables her 32 tonnes was pulled with the winch back into position in the boathouse – but not before a thorough scrubbing-down with pressure hoses. It reminded me of NSRI Station 37! Interestingly, all commands and communication were conducted in the Welsh language, to avoid misunderstandings, said Mike.

Back in the training room, Lifeboat Operations Manager (LOM) Ken Fitzpatrick introduced me to the crew and read out a letter of introduction that I had brought with me from my station commander, Rieghard Janse Van Rensburg.

I gave a short talk about our work and facilities in Jeffreys Bay and showed them a few videos of our station at work before handing over some NSRI gifts to their station. In turn, Mike welcomed us into their fold and gave me a number of gifts for our station, including a book charting 150 years of Porthdinllaen’s history. Our station is six years old!

So ended a memorable day in one of the most beautiful areas of the UK coastline. I have written to Mali and Dylan, and am hoping that one or some of them can visit us here at Jeffreys Bay. Well, according to them, we have sharks, surf, sunshine and barbeques so that’s something to look forward to, isn’t it?

Sea Rescue / SUMMER 2016 /

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A

sk the average South African for their favourite soccer, rugby or cricket stars and most will be able to rattle off a flurry of names without having to think twice. Ask the same sports fundies about famous rowers, and chances are you’ll have them stumped.

It came as a considerable surprise to many when Lawrence Brittain and Shaun Keeling won an Olympic silver medal in the men’s coxless pair on Rio’s Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon. In an exciting final that saw the South African twosome lead after an explosive start but slip back into fourth position at the halfway mark, Lawrence and Shaun powered into second place just 2.8 seconds behind the winning boat from New Zealand.

bronze in the coxless pair at the Athens Olympics and eight years later Lawrence’s older brother Matthew was part of the celebrated, gold-medal-winning coxless-four crew at the London Games.

Based on a string of consistent performances on the world circuit, South Africa managed to qualify a total of five boats for the Rio Olympics – up from just two in London.

With Lawrence and Shaun’s heroics on the water, rowing is starting to step out of the shadow of more traditionally popular sports. ‘I think that after the gold in London, rowing was put on the map and as we drew closer to Rio there was quite a bit of attention on us,’ says Lawrence. ‘So hopefully with our success now, rowing will carry on its upward trend.’

A PROUD HISTORY With only about 3 000 registered athletes in South Africa, rowing may be a relatively small sport here but the country has achieved a number of international successes in the discipline during the last decade or so.

In 2004 Ramon di Clemente and Donovan Chech won

BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS Sean and Lawrence’s row to Olympic glory is the result of years of hard work and commitment. A professional rower since 2008, Shaun placed fifth in the men’s coxless pair at the Beijing Olympics with Ramon, and third at the 2014 World Rowing Championship in Amsterdam with David Hunt.

But success on the world stage doesn’t come easy. ‘My body has been under pressure for a long period,’ explains Shaun. ‘I have had three operations over the last eight years to keep

ROWING

TO OLYMPIC GLORY PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES, GALLO IMAGES/SYDNEY SESHIBEDI

South Africa achieved a 10-medal tally at the Rio Olympics. Andreas Wilson-Späth spoke to the two rowers who were part of this milestone.

38 / SEA RESCUE / SUMMER 2016

RIO 2016

Photographs: GETTY IMAGES, Gallo Images/Sydney Seshibedi

Left: Lawrence Brittain and Shaun Keeling are welcomed home by Minister of Sport Fikile Mbalula at OR Tambo International Airport.

Opposite: Lawrence Brittain and Shaun Keelings competing in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Shaun says he’s been preparing and training for Rio since Beijing in 2008.

‘I have always dreamt and believed that I could win a medal at the Olympics.

We knew that we could do it at Rio.’ And what about the intense excitement of the final? ‘Once I ‘Winning the silver start racing everything was all I ever dreamed goes out of my mind – all the nerves and about and more, which anything outside of rowing. I’ve also had makes me wonder our lane. It is all about numerous problems how much better gold our boat and the race,’ with tendonitis and says Lawrence. ‘On many cortisone would be and that just the start line you are injections.’ makes me want to thinking, “Oh my word, The 26-year-old train even harder.’ this is the Olympic Lawrence showed final!” but in the race tremendous promise Lawrence Brittain it’s just another race from early on, becomand we have done a ing South Africa’s thousand of them so your mind automatifirst ever rowing world champion with cally focuses on the right things.’ partner John Smith at the 2010 unRealising what they had accomplished der-23 world championships. But tragewas an incredible moment: ‘I was just dy struck in October 2014, when he was ecstatic,’ says Shaun. ‘It is the happiest diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a moment of my life to date. It felt like form of cancer that starts in white blood I was walking on water.’ cells called lymphocytes.

Following six arduous cycles of What does the future hold? chemotherapy, each of them three While they enjoy a well-earned break, weeks in duration, Lawrence returned the two athletes are far from resting to full-time training last February, makon their laurels. ing his formal comeback at the South ‘Winning the silver was all I ever African champs in April. dreamed about and more, which makes me wonder how much better gold would winning an Olympic medal be and that just makes me want to train Coming into the Olympics, the pair knew even harder,’ says Lawrence. ‘I’m still that a podium finish was a definite possiyoung and only beginning to see how bility. ‘My hopes have always been gold,’ fast I can be, so I’ll be hunting for gold explains Lawrence, ‘but my expectations in Tokyo!’ were grounded.’ The sheer magnitude of Shaun agrees: ‘I’m just enjoying the the event was an amazing experience itmoment. I’m going to take a break from self: ‘You have all these famous athletes training and then assess the situation at like Bolt, Phelps and Djokovic sitting the end of the year. But there is always around in the food hall and passing you one medal up on silver to get!’ on the street – it is quite unreal.’

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STATION DIRECTORY The nsri is manned by more than 1 000 volunteers at 36 bases around the coast and on three inland dams. Our volunteers have day jobs but will always respond to your emergency.

STN 2 StatCom:

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BAKOVEN Bruce Davidson 082 990 5962 TABLE BAY Dr Quentin Botha 082 990 5963 MYKONOS Casper Frylinck

082 990 5966 DURBAN Clifford Ireland 082 990 5948 PORT ELIZABETH Ian Gray 082 990 0828 EAST LONDON Geoff McGregor 082 990 5972 HOUT BAY Lyall Pringle 082 990 5964 GORDON’S BAY Alan Meiklejohn 072 448 8482 SIMON’S TOWN Darren Zimmermann 082 990 5965 PORT ALFRED Juan Pretorius 082 990 5971 KNYSNA Jerome Simonis 082 990 5956 PLETTENBERG BAY Marc Rodgers (Acting) 082 990 5975 MOSSEL BAY André Fraser 082 990 5954 STRANDFONTEIN Vaughn Seconds

082 990 6753

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STN 17 StatCom:

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HERMANUS Deon Langenhoven 082 990 5967 MELKBOSSTRAND Rhine Barnes 082 990 5958 RICHARDS BAY Dorian Robertson 082 990 5949 SHELLY BEACH Jeremiah Jackson 082 990 5950 ST FRANCIS BAY Sara Smith 082 990 5969 VAAL DAM Dirk Manten 083 626 5128 WILDERNESS Robert van Helsdingen 082 990 5955 LAMBERT’S BAY Christo Filander 060 960 3027 HARTBEESPOORT DAM Rod Pitter 082 990 5961 KOMMETJIE Ian Klopper 082 990 5979

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STN 27 VICTORIA LAKE, GERMISTON StatCom: Gerhard Potgieter 082 441 6989

STN 28A PORT ST JOHNS StatCom: John Costello 082 550 5430

STN 29 AIRBORNE SEA RESCUE StatCom: Andy Connell 082 990 5980

STN 30 AGULHAS StatCom: Reinard Geldenhuys 082 990 5952

STN 31 STILL BAY StatCom: Enrico Menezies 082 990 5978

STN 32 PORT EDWARD StatCom: John Nicholas 082 990 5951

STN 33 WITSAND StatCom: Theo Erasmus 082 990 5957

STN 34 YZERFONTEIN StatCom: Willem Lubbe

082 990 5974

STN 35 WITBANK StatCom: Dean Wegerle

060 962 2620

STN 36 OYSTER BAY StatCom: Mark Mans

082 990 5968

STN 37 JEFFREYS BAY StatCom: Rieghard Janse

van Rensburg

079 916 0390

STN 38 THEEWATERSKLOOF StatCom: Grant Ekermans 072 446 6344

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General needs

Data projectors and speakers or flat-screen TVs for training • GoPros or similar waterproof devices to film training sessions • Good-quality waterproof binoculars • Prizes for golf days and fundraising events • Towels for casualties • Groceries such as tea, coffee, sugar and cleaning materials • Long-life energy bars • Wet and dry vacuum cleaners • Dehumidifiers • Small generators • Good-quality toolkits • Top-up supplies for medical kits • Waterproof pouches for cellphones • Tea cups/coffee mugs/glasses for functions • Training-room chairs.

You can also make a cash or EFT donation and let us know which rescue base you would like to support.

Cheques can be mailed to: NSRI, PO Box 154, Green Point 8051.

Deposits can be made at: ABSA, Heerengracht branch Branch code: 506 009 Account number: 1382480607 Account holder: National Sea Rescue Institute Swift code: ABSA-ZA-JJ If you choose to do an EFT, please use your telephone number as a unique reference so that we are able to acknowledge receipt.

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