RESCUE
SAVED BY
SafeTRX During the past year, more and more stories have emerged of water users who have found themselves in trouble on the water being helped quickly and efficiently after activating SafeTRX. Robin Mousley shares another successful rescue.
F
OR SOME TIME, Paul Daniels had felt that something wasn’t quite right with his fishing kayak. As he attempted to turn to go
back to Three Anchor Bay, his suspicions turned to certainty – there was water in the hull and the kayak had become unstable. The next wave tipped the kayak and in an instant he was in the cold Atlantic water, next to the upturned hull. MASSIVE SWELLS When Paul and his fishing buddy Luke Skinner had arrived at Three Anchor Bay on the morning of 19 September, they’d been looking forward to a morning on their kayaks – but when they saw the massive swells closing out across the mouth of the little bay, they had second thoughts. Taking their time, the two men watched the waves and noticed a long gap between sets when the sea became relatively calm. ‘In the end we 8 |
SEA RESCU E SU MME R 2020
Above: Paul Daniels, safely aboard the rescue craft Spirit of Day. Right: Luke Skinner helping his friend. only launched at about 07h30,’ says Paul. ‘We could see there was time between the sets to get out and to come back safely.’ A former NSRI crewman (he served six years at Strandfontein), Paul had also worked on cargo ships with Safmarine and was no stranger to the sea. He’d owned his fishing kayak since July and this was his fifth trip. The men were well equipped with safety gear and both had just installed the NSRI SafeTRX tracker app on their phones. A TURN FOR THE WORSE Safe beyond the break, Paul and Luke set up their lines and commenced fishing, slowly paddling south along the coast. Despite the rolling swell,
