Five people were rescued in the French Pass overnight on Tuesday when the fishing vessel they were on ran aground.
Coastguard Nelson were called after the ship developed a sharp list (lean) after it ran aground near the narrowest part of French Pass - throwing one person overboard.
Volunteers spent 12 hours responding, being called around midnight Tuesday.
All five people on board managed to reach the rocks and were safe, but very cold, a Coastguard Nelson spokesperson says,
Coastguard Nelson’s ‘Sealord Rescue’ launched in the early hours with five volunteers and arrived on scene just after 2:30am. The crew worked in very challenging conditions to transfer the five people from the rocks onto Sealord Rescue, where all were confirmed to be okay.
“The vessel had to battle French Pass’ notoriously strong currents to get into a position where the fishing vessel’s crew could be safely taken off the rocky shoreline," says Coastguard Nelson skipper Steve King. “The teamwork and vessel handling skills of Sealord Rescue’s crew were certainly put to the test.”
The skipper and engineer were placed back onto the fishing vessel, which had floated free, along with a Coastguard volunteer to help prepare the disabled vessel for towing, after assessing that it was safe to do so.
Sealord Rescue then took the vessel under tow to Croisilles Harbour for divers to assess any damage. The three crew members who had remained on Sealord Rescue were then transferred back to their vessel, and the Coastguard volunteer returned to the rescue vessel.
Sealord Rescue departed shortly after midnight and was back at base a little before 1:00pm, marking the end of a 12-hour operation.
“As with all rescues like this, a successful outcome only happens as a result of a coordinated team effort - in this case, the Rescue Coordination Centre, Maritime Radio, Coastguard Nelson’s rescue vessel crew and shore-based radio operators," Steve adds. "A special shout-out from Sealord Rescue’s crew also goes out to the staff of Nelson’s Styx Restaurant, which arrived at the Coastguard dock with hot bacon and egg butties for the crew.”
