Two rescued from leaky canoe
2012-12-20 16:13
Johannesburg - Rescuers were called after two men went
canoeing in Hermanus without first plugging a hole in their craft, the National
Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said on Thursday.
"It appears that they had borrowed the canoe from a
friend but did not realise that the 'bung' [a plug at the back of water craft
that prevents water from coming in, and is used to drain water from the craft
once on dry land] was not plugged in," NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon
said in a statement.
As the canoe filled with water it became unsteady and
capsized near the Marine Hotel.
An NSRI volunteer saw this and alerted a rescue team who
found the two men, both 19, swimming for shore.
"They were taken onboard our sea rescue craft and
their canoe was recovered, and they were brought safely to the old harbour
where they required no further assistance," Lambinon said.
Another duo had to be rescued on Thursday around 11:30
when their small "rubber duck" capsized near Vermont.
A NSRI rescue craft was deployed but arrived on the scene
to find the two men had been rescued by another vessel.
Both men were taken by the NSRI to the shore at
Hardebaai.
Neither man was injured.
The skipper from Onrus was in his 60s, while the crewman
was in his mid-40s and from Bellville.
The rubber duck was recovered.
- SAPA
