No rest for Sea Rescue
NSRI Station 19 volunteers took advantage of the rough seas to complete a training exercise.
WITHIN hours of a rough and tough rescue at sea on Friday, the NSRI Station 19 volunteers were geared up and ready to head back to the ocean on Saturday for a training exercise.
Following the return to base around 11pm on Friday after safely towing and escorting the stricken yacht ‘Alchemi’ and its solo sailor Mike Bickell to the Small Craft Harbour, the work was not yet done for the exhausted crew.
First priority was to ensure that the flagship rescue craft ‘Spirit of Richards Bay’ was cleaned, refuelled and prepared in case of another call-out.
That never happened, but on Saturday the volunteers set out again to get in some practice for the real thing.
‘There is not much point going out when the sea is flat, so we must take advantage of conditions like this that are a real test of skill,’ said veteran skipper, Mike Patterson.
‘Since sea rescues most often take place when boats are battered by bad weather and big seas, we need to get out there and prepare ourselves.’
