At 16h50 on Wednesday, 19th December, NSRI Hermanus volunteer sea rescue duty crew were activated following eye-witness accounts of two young men in difficulty on a 2 man canoe off-shore of the Marine Hotel, Hermanus.
An NSRI volunteer on shore had witnessed the two young men capsize from their two man canoe and after observing them struggling to get back into the canoe the NSRI volunteer raised the alarm and NSRI Hermanus launched the NSRI rescue craft LE JENMAR II.
Gideon Nel, NSRI Hermanus duty controller, said that on reaching the two 19 year old males, one from Hermanus and one from Stellenbosch, they were found swimming towards shore after abandoning their canoe, and they were taken onboard our sea rescue craft and their canoe was recovered, and they were brought safely to the old harbour where they required no further assistance.
Neither of the two young men was injured.
It appears that they had borrowed the canoe from a friend but did not realize that the "bung" (a plug at the back of water craft that prevents water from coming in and is used to drain water from craft once on dry land) was not plugged in and as the canoe's hull filled with water it became unsteady and capsized.
At 11h30, Thursday, 20th December, NSRI Hermanus volunteer sea rescue duty crew launched the sea rescue craft HUNTERS GOLD RESCUER to respond to off-shore of Vermont following eye-witness reports of a small rubber-duck with two men onboard capsized.
Deon Langenhoven, NSRI Hermanus duty coxswain, said that on arrival on-scene it was found that both men had been rescued by a small boat that had come to their assistance with a lone skipper onboard.
Both men were taken over from the small boat and taken onboard the NSRI sea rescue craft and transported to the shore at Hardebaai where they required no further assistance. Their boat was recovered and neither of the two men was injured, the skipper aged in his 60's from Onrus, and the crewman, aged in his mid 40's from Bellville.
NSRI did not get details of the skipper of the small boat that rescued the two men but he can be commended for his effort.
-ENDS-
Released by:
Craig Lambinon
Sea Rescue Communications
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