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Congratulations to Charles Hunting. You’ve won a case of Slaley Wines. From one winemaker to another, we do hope you will enjoy the excellent vintages in this range.
STATION 10 TO THE RESCUE On the evening of the 14 June 2008, Hans Jelbert, his daughter Roda, Adrian van Reenen and myself were sailing from Hout Bay to Gordon’s Bay on Genii 2. It was an uneventful voyage until we rounded Cape Point, where the weather became notoriously wild. A half an hour later, Hans went below deck, only to discover we were taking on water in the port hull. Hans immediately took control and we all took our lead from him – Adrian at the helm making nearest land fall, myself and Roda bailing, and Hans in knee-deep water with his sleeping bag trying to locate an ellusive hole in the hull. Within ten minutes we were pitched at an alarming angle and every minute the angle would increase a little bit more. The water started to come into the saloon. Hans was still desperately trying to get the water flow under control, but soon realised it was hopeless. He immediately tried to call a mayday, but our radio had shorted. He ordered me to take the bolt cutter and cut the life raft, which happened to be on the front port hull. By this stage, the life raft was under water and I had difficulty cutting the chain that secures it to the boat. (We had to chain it down because of the potential theft threat. What a mistake!) I managed to cut through both links and release the life raft. Hans had called his wife by cellphone, and she immediately contacted the NSRI, giving them our location, and all our cellphone numbers. The NSRI immediately called us. Adrian and Hans were in the raging storm trying desperately to inflate a life raft
with all instructions in Chinese. Roda and I stayed on the stricken vessel which was on the point of capsizing. When they eventually inflated the life raft, they were thankfully able to pull us aboard. I have never had the opportunity to be in a washing machine, but I believe being in a life raft off Cape Point on a wild sea is pretty close. Hans immediately took the time, 22h05, and fired the first flare. He fired a flare every 15 minutes. We were stuck on a life raft with no communication, and no idea if there was a search party out. It felt like hours and hours had passed. Hans had shot five flares by then. I was getting hypothermic, and was wretching every five minutes with nothing left in my stomach, except bile. As I stuck my head out of the raft, I saw the most wonderful sight – a weak searchlight playing over a huge arch, cutting through the blackness and spray. We immediately lit a hand-held flare and
ILLUSTRATION: DARRYL EDWARDES
WINNING LETTER
NSRI HEAD OFFICE: 1 Glengariff Road, Three Anchor Bay, Cape Town, 8001 / PO Box 154, Green Point, 8051 Tel: +2721 434-4011 Fax: +2721 434-1661 Email: nsri-hq@iafrica.com
OUR REGIONAL OFFICES DURBAN: Durban Rescue Base, Small Craft Basin, Point Waterfront, Durban / PO Box 38446, Point, 4069 Tel: +2731 332-9772 Fax: +2731 332-9773 Email: nsri-kzn@iafrica.com PORT ELIZABETH: 216 Cape Road, Mill Park, Port Elizabeth, 6001 / PO Box 7909, Newton Park, Port Elizabeth, 6055 Tel: +2741 374-8315 Fax: +2741 374-8316 Email: nsri-pe@iafrica.com GAUTENG: Bouhof, 31 Robin Hood Road, Robindale, Randburg, 2194 / PO Box 3432, Pinegowrie, 2123 Tel: +2711 888-5451 Fax: +2711 888-5458 Email: nsri-elane@iafrica.com
SEA RESCUE > SUMMER 2008
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