NSRI triumphs in exhausting yacht rescue

In a gruelling all-night rescue mission, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) towed the stricken yacht Thandeka and its crew to safety after the vessel lost its rudder 200 nautical miles off the coast.

The 52-foot yacht, which had set sail for Mauritius on Sunday, was towed into Hout Bay at 8am on Monday.

"We just want to go home," said skipper Paul Peyrataud, 69. "We were up almost all night, and everyone is exhausted."

A haggard Peyrataud described the damage that forced the boat to return to port.

"When the rudder broke, we rigged the steering by hand using wrenches," he said. "By the time we got to about 60 miles south of Cape Point, my crew asked me to call for help."

At 4.45pm, Peyrataud sent out a Mayday distress call and the NSRI launched the Spirit of Rotary.

But rescuers encountered a number of problems along the way, including a two-hour loss of radio contact, two tow-line breakages, and the unexpected loosening of Thandeka's sails. Assisted by the NSRI's short-tow Queenie Payne, Thandeka finally docked in Hout Bay.

The rest of Thandeka's crew consisted of Daniel Bernasconi, 50, of France, and Jean Tusan, 66, William Bayon, 34, Samuel Lamarque, 21, and Timothé Seblen, 18, all of Mauritius. Most of the crew was shaken by the experience and expressed disappointment in Peyrataud's leadership.

"I wish he had taken more safety precautions so we could have avoided this," said Tusan.

Both Thandeka's crew and the NSRI expect reimbursement from Peyrataud to cover the respective costs of the aborted trip and the rescue.

Towing went slower than usual, at a walking pace of three knots, because of the weather and the size of the Thandeka, said Brad Geyser, Hout Bay's NSRI station commander. "The conditions were bad all night, and southeast swells kept rocking the boat," he said.

"Practically the whole crew got sick."

Thandeka sailed from Chesapeake Bay, US, to Brazil, on to Tristan da Cunha, and from there to Cape Town, where it had been docked at the Royal Cape Yacht Club for the past two weeks.

"We are grateful to the coast guard," said Bernasconi. "As soon as we get back to Mauritius, we will send a care package to them."