Breaking…
By Bev Mortimer
NSRI St Francis Bay volunteer duty crew yesterday evacuated a patient suffering from abdominal pain on a boat out at sea.
Photo: The Spirit of St Francis – NSRI ST Francis Bay sea rescue craft
The 24 year-old patient was on board the Maluti chokka boat, 3.5 nautical miles from the Port of St Francis, 2.5 nautical miles off-shore of the Kromne River.
NSRI St Francis Bay’s station commander, Sarah Smith, said at 9.20 am the local duty crew were activated following a request from Maluti.
The Sea Rescue craft Spirit of St Francis II, had been in Cape Town for a substantial re-fit over the past few months, and had successfully completed the re-fit and sea trials. It left Cape Town on Thursday, 6 October, on a trailer, and was due to be relaunched in St Francis Bay yesterday.
The NSRI crew were ready, all kitted out at the slipway. The rescue boat, in tip top condition arrived in St Francis Bay in time to be launched for the evacuation process. “Spirit of St Francis II was given a brief and thorough inspection by our crew and she was launched from the slip way straight into duty,” Smith says.
The NSRI boat met up with Maluti and the patient, in a stable condition, was transferred onto the sea rescue craft and brought to Port St Francis.
He was transported to hospital by ambulance.
St Francis Chronicle 