EAST LONDON – Two German sailors, one with dual American citizenship, who sparked a major search and rescue operation after issuing a distress call have been found safe.
The incident began in the early hours of Thursday morning when the Katouska, whose last port of call was Mauritius, issued a Mayday distress call via VHF marine radio. The crew reported they were taking on water and in distress while sailing between East London and Gqeberha.
“The sailing yacht and both her crew are offshore of the Port of East London – they are safe – they were escorted and assisted by NSRI East London from the deep sea during the afternoon (Friday),” said Craig Lambinon, NSRI spokesperson. “Conditions are not favourable for them to come into the harbour at present – it appears that they have opted to stay offshore overnight and may come into port in the morning.”
Lambinon confirmed on Saturday that the incident has been handed over to the Ports Authority: “We are not involved anymore.”
Rescue operation launched
On Thursday 16 October, Telkom Maritime Radio Services intercepted a distress call, which was then relayed to NSRI’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC). According to the Ocean Sailing Association of South Africa (OSASA), the sailors had intended to head towards East London.
Initially, the crew managed to stem the water ingress and began rigging sails in an attempt to reach East London Port. NSRI East London launched their rescue craft Spirit of Lotto as a precautionary measure to escort the vessel, which was believed to be approximately 20 nautical miles offshore of Kei Mouth in the Eastern Cape.
Search operations continued throughout Thursday and into Friday morning but were severely hampered by storm seas with swells reaching up to 8 metres and multiple storm fronts.
