A recreational fishing vessel in distress...

After a successful Pelagic Bird Watching day trip off Cape Point, South Africa we were on our way back to Simonstown, passing through a well known fishing area called "Buffels Bay" when one of our guests from Cape Town Pelagics noticed a flare that had been set off about a mile to the left of us, followed by a second flare which was clearly directed towards us. Our skipper quickly turned our boat around and headed in the direction of the signal flare - As we got closer it was clear that the boat with two male occupants waving us down were in distress and in need of assistance! The skipper of the distress vessel made it clear that their single engine would not start and that they had not been carrying a radio to call for help - We had just traveled through 8 miles (14 km's) in thick fog and the wind was rapidly increasing. They were drifting quickly and needed to be towed to Buffels Bay slip way.

Fortunately, we were in the right place at the right time and were happy to assist! We decided to make this post not to ridicule anyone , but rather as a reminder of the importance of safety at sea, especially in our Cape waters! The maritime safety law is there for a reason and we cant emphasis enough how important it is to abide by these rules and regulations!

We wish everyone a happy festive season and keep safe out there! :)

Assisting a recreational fishing vessel in False Bay, South Africa!