THE crew of a catamaran which capsized on Western Port Bay on Sunday 25 March were assisted by members of Pt Leo Surf Life Saving Club who saw the boat in trouble from the shore.
The three crewmen, who had sailed the 5.8 metre craft from Phillip Island, were all wearing lifejackets and were in the water for only a short time before the club’s rubber ducky arrived at 12.30pm. A lifesaver jumped in to help get them get their craft upright and they then sailed it back to Ventnor.
Sergeant John Cannon, of Hastings police, said “extremely strong winds” on the bay caused the boat to tip over and made righting it difficult. He said the lifesavers did well in the rough conditions about one kilometre from shore.
“There’s a good lesson to be had here: all the men were wearing life jackets which made them safer and made their rescuers’ jobs easier,” he said.
