Fishermen tell of 10-hour ordeal at sea

Deon Coetzee, Frank Scholtz, Tiaan Scholtz and Kevin Bourke, who survived a 10-hour ordeal at sea. Picture: Mlondolozi Mbolo

It was high drama off the East Coast on Saturday when a fishing competition went horribly wrong for four fishermen when their boat capsized in strong winds.  The incident happened on Saturday about five nautical miles from Kei Mouth during an annual fishing competition, writes Babalo Ndenze.

The party of four — Kevin Bourke, Deon Coetzee, Frank Scholtz and his 16-year-old son Tiaan — ran into trouble at about 11am.

It was only when the group did not return at 3.30pm as scheduled, that a rescue team went in search for them.

Clinging on to dear life and tied to the overturned hull, the four were eventually rescued from the choppy seas and strong winds following a coordinated rescue attempt involving the community of Kei Mouth and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).

Champion fisherman Frank Scholtz, the skipper who has owned five boats and has been going out to the deep sea since the 1980s, said Saturday night was one of the worst nights of his life.

Copper-Cat - the fishing boat that capsized in strong winds

Speaking from his holiday home in Kei Mouth over a beer with friends and family yesterday, Scholtz said they were just happy to be alive.

“We’re feeling much better now. But every minute felt like an hour. We were being hit by waves every second. At the end we were praying. But I think the worst part was when I had to tie a rope onto every crew member in case we died,” Scholtz recalled.

NSRI East London station commander Geoff McGregor said they were alerted to the incident following reports of the overdue 16-foot boat Copper-Cat with a crew of four from East London.

They were joined in their search by NSRI rescue swimmer and Timber Mill owner John Rance, who drove home to Stutterheim to fetch his Baron fixed wing aircraft.

For the full story, read the print or online edition of the Dispatch on Monday.