Three rescued from capsized boat in late night emergency

by Ken McManus on 1 Dec 2014 A late night emergency operation has saved three people left clinging to the hull of their boat after it overturned north-west of Cook Island off the Far North Coast of NSW.

The boat’s crew activated their EPIRB, triggering the major search operation involving the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter, Marine Rescue NSW and the Queensland Water Police.

The Rescue Helicopter located the 6m vessel 1.5 nautical miles south-east of Tweed Heads about half a nautical mile offshore. Conditions were unfavourable with heavy swells and seas after north-east winds during the day.

A volunteer crew from Marine Rescue Point Danger responded on Point Danger 30, retrieving the three people from the hull of the upturned boat.

They were transported to the Tweed Heads Pumping Station Jetty in the Tweed River, arriving about 11pm, where they were met by NSW Ambulance paramedics.

This was the second EPIRB activation in the region yesterday, with another three people rescued mid-morning when their 6m tinnie was swamped by waves, causing it to capsize 13 nautical miles south-east of Tweed Heads.

A local fishing vessel was first on scene and retrieved the three before they were transferred to PD 30 and transported back to the Tweed River for medical checks.

Marine Rescue NSW Northern Rivers Regional Controller Stephen Reading said the vessel that capsized last night had washed up on Fingal Beach just south of the pumping jetty.

'The three people on board the boat have been through a traumatic experience in the dark and cold and were immensely relieved to see the rescue crews arrive,' he said.

'This emergency could have had a far worse outcome but they are incredibly fortunate that our rescue agencies are trained and equipped to the highest standards and to respond swiftly and professionally when people are in need.

'These three were not wearing lifejackets but they did manage to activate their EPIRB. I again urge everyone on board a boat to always wear a lifejacket whenever you are on the water.'

Mr Reading congratulated the crew of PD 30, Rick Snow, Neil Swift and Chris Ingal, supported by radio operators John Hurdley, Les Green and watch officer Phil Pickering, for their skill in retrieving the boaters from open waters in the dark.

'This was greatly aided by Westpac Life Saver Helicopter keeping its spotlight trained on the stricken vessel and its crew until they were safely aboard PD 30,' he said.

'This operation highlights the value of our cross-agency training and collaboration, as we saw just last weekend in the Northern Rivers regional Search and Rescue Exercise at Ballina, which brought together rescue organisations from across the district for two days,' he said.