Harbour drama as boat breaks anchor

Tony Marcinowski attempts to secure a 10m long  longship to a jetty at Macandrew Bay yesterday....
Tony Marcinowski attempts to secure a 10m long longship to a jetty at Macandrew Bay yesterday. Photo by Linda Robertson.
Tony Marcinowski makes a splash as he jumps overboard from a Viking long boat which broke anchor...
Tony Marcinowski makes a splash as he jumps overboard from a Viking long boat which broke anchor in strong swells and high tide yesterday afternoon. Photo by Linda Robertson.

There was drama on the high seas yesterday, when a replica longship came within metres of smashing against the rocks at Macandrew Bay.

A high tide combined with strong swells forced the boat to break anchor and head towards the rocks - only to be rescued by some enterprising locals.

At 4.30pm, John Osten was walking his dog when he saw the 10m boat in trouble.

"I grabbed a pair of oars in an effort to push it away from the rocks," he said.

"It was touch and go there for a while."

After spotting the boat drifting perilously close to the shore, cafe owner Les Scott "rang everyone I could and then went down to help them keep it off the rocks".

"I didn't really think what I was doing, but I was so worried about what was going to happen [to the boat] that I jumped into it from the rocks."

Mr Scott was joined by another man as they attempted to get the boat out of trouble, and other rescuers came to their assistance in the Macandrew Bay Rescue boat.

Another local, Tony Marcinowski, dived into the water to retrieve the longship's loose rope.

By 5.20pm, the boat was secured to the local boat-club jetty, much to the delight of a small crowd.

Longship owner Scott Broere expressed his thanks to the community for coming to the rescue.

 

 

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