The night of
11/12 September 1987 was wild around the Cape Peninsula: high north westerly
winds and rain. At 03h45 on the morning of the 12th, Cape Town
Radio, the maritime radio service of the South African Post Office, heard a
“Mayday” call from the yacht “Skidaddle”, with 12 persons on board. She had
lost her rudder and her motor had overheated and broken down. Cape Point
bore 110º & Slangkop Light bore 035º.
Cape Town
Radio at once informed Cape Town Port Control, who phoned NSRI Station 8,
Hout Bay, station commander, Ken Brady, who in turn immediately ordered the
duty crew to be called out. The station opened at 04h00 and Ken and the duty
cox’n Bruce Bodmer assessed the situation. The casualty had not said whether
the bearings it had taken were True or Magnetic. As in the Hout Bay area
there is a 23º difference between a True or a Magnetic bearing, the area of
uncertainty of the casualty’s position was significant: it could be anything
between 3 and 8 miles offshore and the two possible sets of bearings gave
positions 6 miles apart.
However,
what was certain was that “Skidaddle” was to the south of Hout Bay. A plan
of action decided, the station’s 8m rescue boat “Spirit of Mobil”, callsign
Rescue 8, was launched. Besides Bruce Bodmer, her crew comprised Richard
Hutton-Brown as deputy cox’n, Piers Hayes, Renè van der Dussen and Carsten
Rieger.
In good
conditions “Spirit of Mobil” could cruise at over 20 knots. In the seas that
day a far slower speed could be attained but, despite the conditions Rescue
8 kept up over 10 knots into the prevailing south westerly swells and by
04h49 was abeam of Slangkop Light, 6 miles to the south. At the same time
“Skidaddle” reported that she was maintaining her position as advised
earlier.
Meanwhile
Station 8’s small Suzuki vehicle, callsign Rescue 8 Mobile, fitted with
radios and carrying first aid equipment, used for landward assistance for
the rescue boat at sea – particularly as a communications relay when Rescue
8 was unable to hear or be heard by the Hout Bay rescue base - was
proceeding southwards beyond Kommetjie.
The weather
conditions worsened, slowing “Spirit of Mobil”’s speed significantly. By
05h54 she had only made another 8 n.m. and was 3 n.m. off Olifantsbospunt.
By 06h10 Rescue 8 was off Brightwater and Bruce Bodmer estimated that he
must be nearing the mean point of the casualty’s possible positions. Bruce
tried calling “Skidaddle” but could not make contact. However by relaying
his message through Rescue 8 Mobile and thence to Rescue 8 Base and so to
Cape Town Radio, Bruce managed to request the yacht to fire a flare.
At 06h19 Cape
Town Radio relayed a message from “Spirit of Mobil” that a flare had been
sighted, just 1 n.m. away. Bruce’s & Ken’s pre-planning had paid off. It took a
further half hour to rig a tow line between the casualty and Rescue 8, partly
because all except two of the yacht’s complement were sick and unable to assist
in any way. At 06h57 the long, slow haul back to Hout Bay, into the teeth of a
Force 7- 8 NW gale, began. “Spirit of Mobil” could not make more than 5 knots.
Meanwhile two
other yacht dramas were playing themselves out in the same vicinity. At more or
less the same time as “Skidaddle” declared her emergency, the yacht “Southern
Isle” reported to Cape Town Radio that she was 8 n.m. off the coast, with
Slangkop Light bearing 240º, and had either her forestay or foresail broken but
did not request assistance at that time.
At 06h00 the
yacht “Imp” put out a Mayday call saying she had hit rocks off Seal Island and
was inspecting the damage. She called shortly thereafter to say that she was not
taking water and was proceeding to Simon’s Town.
Shortly after
Rescue 8 began towing “Skidaddle” towards Hout Bay, the “Southern Isle” reported
that she was now only 2 miles off Slangkop Light. Bruce Bodmer asked her to stay
well offshore and agreed to rendezvous with “Southern Isle” on his way back to
Hout Bay on Rescue 8. He estimated that it would take the rescue boat and her
charge another 3½ hours to arrive abeam Slangkop Light. To assess the situation
from the shore, Rescue 8 Mobile proceeded to the Slangkop lighthouse to look out
for “Southern Isle”.
However, at
07h30 Rescue 8’s towing troubles really began. The towline to “Skidaddle” chafed
through. It was reconnected but in the next hour in the horrendous conditions of
a confused sea, huge swells and a gale force wind the line parted a further
three times. His crew were completely exhausted from the effort required to
maintain the tow and all except Bruce & Renè became seasick, so at 08h36 Bruce
gave up the unequal struggle and turned south, to tow his charge around Cape
Point and into False Bay where he could be assisted by the rescue boat from NSRI
Station 10, Simon’s Town.
“Southern Isle”
reported at the same time that she was now holding her position 5 n.m. off
Slangkop Light. Her personal story ended happily when she was taken in tow by a
tunny boat just after 11h00 and towed back to Hout Bay harbour, where she docked
at 14h30.
It took “Spirit
of Mobil” two hours to round Cape Point and she handed over the tow of the
casualty to Station 10’s rescue boat at 10h30. By the time they stepped ashore
in Simon’s Town at 11h05 on 12 September 1987, Bruce Bodmer & his crew had been
at sea in their small 8 metre vessel in terrible conditions for almost 7 hours.
A relief crew was sent from Hout Bay to bring Rescue 8 home. She was rehoused at
17h20.
For
his determination and seamanship that day Bruce Bodmer was awarded the NSRI
Directors’ Thanks. |
