It's nice to know that our sea rescue services come together to seamlessly aid mariners in distress - and that this was demonstrated off Wollongong this week.
Dennis and Sarah Smith were sailing to Fiji on their yacht " Barakee " when they suffered a steering problem - and then discovered that the yacht was taking in water. They activated their emergency beacon at 3-15 pm, resulting in a search plane arriving above them at 5 pm.
This drama was occurring 170 nautical miles off Wollongong and they were relieved to see the police launch " Falcon " appear over the horizon at 9.05 am the next morning. It was a difficult rescue in treacherous seas, but the Smiths made it safely back to shore - and the entire rescue service can be commended for a job well done.
Surely one aspect that deserves mention is the good sense of the Smith's in having an emergency beacon on board. Without that, the Barakee might have been just another vessel that disappeared without trace - and with it it's master and crew.
Unfortunately, there are still mariners who put to sea and rely on a mobile phone for rescue. Not only is that now illegal - it flies in the face of common sense !
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