Five rescues in a weekend

Central Coast Marine Rescue performed five rescues over the weekend of November 5 and 6.

Volunteers received a phone call on November 5 from the skipper of a 6m half cabin cruiser located about 30m easy of the railway bridge at Woy Woy.

The owner said that his boat's engine would not start and despite having an anchor out, his vessel was being pushed towards the oyster beds by the gusting wind.

Mr Ian Radford and his crew on rescue vessel, Central Coast 21, were tasked to assist.

The vessel was located and towed to the Pretty Beach launching ramp.

At 1:30pm, Mr Radford and crew were sent to assist a 5.8m speedboat with four people on board that was unable to start its engine.

The speedboat was located 500m north of the Rip Bridge and towed to Linton St ramp.

A shore observer phoned at around 3pm to advise of a 6m runabout with mechanical problems at the View St wharf.

Mr Radford and his crew were again tasked to assist and the runabout and the two people on board were towed to the Pretty Beach ramp.

On November 6, the base had a radio call concerning a capsized 4.85m sailing skiff on the

Broadwater between Saratoga and Pt Frederick.

Mr Mark Sheehan and his crew on rescue vessel, Central Coast 22, was tasked to assist.

The drifting but submerged vessel was located.

One of the two people on board had been recovered by a nearby vessel.

The rescue crew righted the capsized skiff after several attempts.

Once righted, the sails were able to be lowered and after bailing the skiff was towed to the Saratoga Sailing Club.

Marine Rescue Cottage Point called at 3:10pm with a request for urgent assistance for a 6m yacht with two people on board drifting towards Ocean Beach.

The yacht had shredded sails and could not start its outboard motor.

Mr John Finn and his crew on rescue vessel, Central Coast 21, responded with maximum safe speed and located the yacht just 250m off Ocean Beach.

The southerly was gusting 20 knots and seas were about two metres.

The rescue crew quickly attached a tow line and towed the vessel to calmer water in the lee of Lion Island.

The yacht was handed over to rescue vessel Cottage Point 20 and it was towed to its mooring at Brooklyn.

Media release, 7 Nov 2016

Ron Cole, Marine Rescue Central Coast