Three people were saved from waters off Port Stephens today after their boat capsized.
Marine Rescue NSW Inspector Courtney Greenslade said radio operators at Port Stephens base received the initial call for assistance at 11.20am, but had to delegate the task as the local unit had its hands full.
“Marine Rescue Port Stephens vessels [were] committed to the search for a missing rock fisherman and other calls for assistance by boaters in the area,” Inspector Greenslade said.
Instead the Lemon Tree Passage unit was tasked for the rescue mission and the vessel Lemon Tree 30 was deployed at the request of NSW Police Marine Area Command, who also attended the incident.
When they arrived at the scene off Nelson Head they found the trio perched on the hull of the overturned catamaran.
“Thankfully other boats were monitoring the sailors when Marine Rescue arrived, they were all uninjured.”
Initial inquiries into the cause of the incident suggest the hull on one side of the catamaran began to fill with water and eventually forced the vessel to capsize.
The disabled catamaran was secured and towed back to Little Beach by Lemon Tree 30, along with her rescued crew.
Inspector Greenslade commended the response from the Marine Rescue personnel involved in the operation, as well as the actions of the public.
“The crew on board Lemon Tree 30 and our radio operators from both the Lemon Tree Passage and Port Stephens units worked seamlessly to complete a successful rescue mission”
“The other vessels that monitored the people on the capsized catamaran should also be commended for keeping watch over the incident,” Inspector Greenslade said.