Clifford Ireland, NSRI KZN Regional representative, said:
At 11h40, Sunday, 02 June, NSRI Durban and NSRI Ballito duty crews were activated following a request for assistance from 2 crew, a local man and his Russian female friend, on a jet-ski reporting motor mechanical failure to their jet-ski off-shore of Salmon Bay and in no immediate danger but adrift 1 nautical mile off-shore in an onshore wind.
The NSRI Durban sea rescue craft Alick Rennie, on the water at the time at the Port of Durban, responded and NSRI Ballito duty crew towed their NSRI jet-ski to Salmon Bay to be launched.
Onboard the sea rescue craft Alick Rennie were NSRI Durban crew and NSRI station commanders from NSRI Ballito and NSRI East London who were in Durban at the time attending this weekends NSRI AGM (Annual General Meeting).
The sea rescue craft Alick Rennie arrived on the scene to find that the casualty jet-ski had been blown closer to shore in the onshore wind and they were less that half a nautical mile from the shoreline. A local man on a fishing ski was standing by at the casualty jet-ski lending a hand for safety.
Our sea rescue craft Alick Rennie took the casualty jet-ski under tow and the public member on his fishing ski took the female crew member of the casualty jet-ski safely to shore without incident while we towed the casualty jet-ski to deeper water and away from the shoreline for safety.
NSRI Ballito duty crew arrived at Salmon Bay with their NSRI jet-ski and they launched and on their arrival on the scene they first took the skipper of the casualty jet-ski safely to shore and then returned to the scene and they took over over the towline and they towed the casualty jet-ski to shore without incident where the casualty jet-ski was recovered and no further assistance was required.
NSRI commend the local man on his fishing ski who had assisted the crew of the casualty jet-ski prior to our arrival and for safely taking the female crew member to shore.
This marks the new NSRI ORC 140 sea rescue craft Alick Rennie’s maiden sea rescue operation.
