SEA Rescue Station 19 at Richards Bay successfully completed a long, tough tow on Sunday when they safely brought into port a stricken French yacht with its three crew members.
Navigating in darkness amid huge seas as a hail-laden electrical storm ravaged the Zululand coastline, the volunteer crew aboard the NSRI flagship Spirit of Richards Bay battled to make headway into gale force winds.
They had launched at 2pm on Saturday after that morning receiving the first report of the yacht ‘Papa Djo’ in trouble 19 nautical miles offshore of Sodwana Bay while en route from Madagascar to Richards Bay.
Its mast in tatters after sustaining a broken stanchion during the storm, Papa Djo had initially been making headway in the prevailing current, but as the weather deteriorated the call for help was made.
With the cold front building, communication lost and limited information on her position, after a ‘needle in a haystack’ search Sea Rescue rendezvoused with the yacht shortly after 9pm.
Veteran coxswain Mike Patterson ascertained that her occupants – skipper Herve Boussard and crew Jacque Sarfaty and Marion Hoarau – were unharmed, and the towline was connected.
Progress was however limited to three knots in the rough conditions as the wind had swung to southwest and seas built up to eight metres.
The weary crews were exhausted but pleased to have made land without serious harm.
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