Aidan Curtis
A FISHERMAN’S report of a problematic boat rescue at the end of July has prompted further calls for a marine rescue service to be installed in the area.
Port MacDonnell man Tyson Kain was going about his life on Sunday, July 31 when he was asked to help on yet another boat rescue in the area.
He was called by Port MacDonnell Fishing Charters skipper Jason Fulham, who told him an amateur vessel was in a bit of distress with engine troubles.
While it seemed to be pretty regulation at first with the boat just needing to be towed back to shore, Mr Kain said the rescue ended up being one problem after another.
“We jumped on Jason’s boat, travelled out and proceeded to tow them back in to shore,“ he said.
“About a third of the way in, they started taking on water over the front because the weather was so rough at the time.“
The occupants of the boat – a man, his son and his dog – noticed water flooding in through the anchor well and were unable to pump it out faster than it was coming in.
“We were just lucky they got on the radio to us and let us know,“ Mr Kain said.
“They made the decision to stop the tow and we pulled back around to them and got them on board, which in doing that, we ended up damaging our vessel which caused probably around $5000 worth of damage.“
Despite the fact the capsized boat was unable to be rescued, eventually sinking below the waves, Mr Kain said it could have been worse.
“We got a better outcome than what could have been,“ he said.
“If they hadn’t have decided to let us know that they were taking on water and we kept going, they could have been in the vessel when it did capsize.
“Different equipment and different tactics may have saved the boat, but we can only do what we can do with what we’ve got.“
Independent Mount Gambier MP Troy Bell said incidents like this often go unreported and highlight the need for a dedicated marine rescue boat in Port MacDonnell.
Mr Bell said this would involve getting a boat that was fit for purpose and providing the training and equipment to conduct rescues safely.
“It would be staffed by volunteers, a bit like the CFS or SES, because what’s happening at the moment is fishermen answer the call, but their boats aren’t designed as rescue boats,“ he said.
Mr Bell said, with the nearest rescue boat being two hours away, it is vital for Port MacDonnell to get its own considering the number of rescues that go unreported each year.
“I don’t know the true extent of the number of rescues, but I’d hate to think that it would take a tragedy to spark the Government into action,“ he said.
“For me, it’s trying to take that element of chance out of the system.
“Sometimes we’re just lucky there’s a boat in the water and a group of people who are able to answer the call.“
