By Vanessa Chircop
THREE kayakers have been rescued after a 36-hour operation by the Williamstown Water Police.
The kayakers were attempting to row across Bass Strait from Victoria to Tasmania last Tuesday, when 50-knot winds struck, overturning their kayak.
One of the kayakers was left injured with a suspected broken elbow and the trio contacted Australian Search and Rescue in Canberra, who contacted the Williamstown Water Police to head up the rescue.
It took a crew of four water police members 10 hours to reach the men on Tuesday night.
Despite this, Sergeant Adrian Sinclair, who was part of the rescue, said this was not the furthest they have had to travel for a rescue.
“The first of the seven to eight hours to get to them were 30-knot winds or 35-knot winds, with waves up to six to eight metres.”
Despite the risk, Sgt Sinclair said the operation was within the Water Police’s capabilities.
“It was probably at the upper limit of what we would do.”
“In the afternoon, the winds abated and we got to them about 8pm –they were all pretty happy to get off their boat and onto ours, in fact they had packed up and stopped rowing by that stage.
“The guy with the suspected broken elbow was complaining of pain at a seven out of ten … but he didn’t require any additional first aid from us, we just had to get him off to hospital.”
The police vessel towed the kayak and the rowers were taken to Port Welshpool.
“I think they entertained the idea (of continuing their journey), but the realisation was they weren’t capable of continuing in those conditions.”
Despite needing to be rescued Sgt Sinclair said the rowers did everything right.
“They’re all adventurers – they had good quality equipment, they had all the right safety gear, they had a plan, they had communications with the outside world and with search and rescue authorities.
“But they just got caught out by the weather.”
