Syrenka prevents another tragedy
by Bernie Kaaks on 28 Jun 2011
The rescue crew on Syrenka - Arlene Race, Valmadre Cup Series Bernie Kaaks
Following hard on the heels of the recent tragedy in NSW, a Fremantle boatie was unbelievably fortunate to escape with his life on Saturday 25th June.
The man was operating a small trailable boat alone, about a mile offshore just north of Fremantle. A heavy swell remained after the previous day’s horrendous weather conditions, but the breeze was only blowing at 12 – 15 knots. Like the teenagers in NSW, he was not wearing a life jacket.
Fortunately, the Fremantle Sailing Club’s offshore Valmadre Cup Series was being run at the time, and the boat was roughly on the rhumb line of one of the legs of the course.
An eagle eyed observer on the Bennett 62 Syrenka saw the man fall overboard and kept him under surveillance in expectation that he would clamber back on board. Alas, the boat drifted away much faster than its owner could swim and the gap between the two widened alarmingly in a very short time.
Skipper Ross Swanson, who has sailed his yacht Syrenka to most places in Australia as well as Bali and Lombok, responded to the developing emergency immediately. Having already sailed well past the little boat, he turned Syrenka around and dropped the sails. It was fortunate, too, that they kept a constant watch on the man in the water, for by the time they reached him, he was struggling to stay afloat.
It also became apparent that the victim was a big man, estimated at around 150kg, so the task of getting him on board Syrenka required no less than five people, who walked him to the transom, and with the aid of one of the yacht’s harnesses, physically hoisted him over the stern. One of Syrenka’s crew just happens to be a doctor, so he was treated immediately.
A radio call to Fremantle Sea Rescue had their vessel alongside in minutes. The patient could not be transferred in the conditions, but at least they were able to retrieve his boat and tow it back to safe harbour. An ambulance was on standby as Syrenka docked at the Fremantle Sailing Club and took the patient directly to Fremantle Hospital, where it is understood he made a complete recovery.
He is a very lucky man. That he was seen to fall from his boat was a stroke of good fortune. That the rescuing yacht had a doctor on board was even more so.
The boys on Syrenka deserve a medal, but all they will get officially is average points for a race they were unable to finish!
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