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High drama as ski boat flips

After losing all electronics, the boat will undergo repairs in Richards Bay

May 2, 2017

Mia Moorcroft 1 minute read

The boat 'Kaikala' was toppled over by a massive swell from behind PHOTO: NSRI

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A FATHER and son from Mpumalanga escaped with their lives after being stranded for more than four hours when their ski boat capsized half a nautical mile off-shore from St Lucia at around 7am Thursday.

Deep sea anglers Hennie (49) and Roelf (20) van der Merwe stopped their 6.5 metre boat ‘Kaikala’ near the Jolly Rubino wreck where a sudden swell swamped their craft.

The boat was towed to Meerensee Boat Club where the father and son were reunited
PHOTO: Supplied

‘The sea was completely calm, but when I looked again I saw a wall of water coming towards us,’ said Hennie.

‘It just picked us up and toppled us over.’

‘Kaikala’ will remain in Richards Bay for repairs to the damaged electronics
PHOTO: Supplied

The boat lost both motors and all its electronics, leaving the two to take turns diving underneath to open the hatch where their flares were kept.

Read full story in ZO Monday!

ALSO READ: Coastline damage after high tides

At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!

May 2, 2017

Mia Moorcroft 1 minute read

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