Marine Rescue NSW (MRNSW) volunteers assisted two men after their catamaran capsized on St Georges Basin over the weekend. 

Radio operators received a call from a member of the public alerting them to the accident on Saturday afternoon.

MRNSW Inspector Glenn Sullivan said a vessel from Sussex Inlet was deployed for the rescue mission. 

“[A volunteer crew] immediately deployed to assist the sailors at Erowal Bay while NSW Ambulance was called’, Sullivan said, “thankfully, the two men made their way to shore.”

Rescue jet skis also responded to the event, the two men were assessed by paramedics and MRNSW crew righted the capsized catamaran as it posed a navigation hazard.

Hobie catamaran capsized on St Georges Basin this weekend.

MRNSW have also completed a recent refurbishment of Shoalhaven’s largest vessel, extending its operational life for another decade. 

As a part of the extensive works, Fleet Manager Kelvin Parkin said volunteer safety and crew comfort has been improved to manage fatigue.

“We have changed the seating arrangements on the vessel to shock-absorbing Salti Bliss seats, making it much more comfortable for the crew to use.”

A volunteer crew have set sail on the revamped vessel today, departing south of Newport this morning and are expected to arrive home on the Shoalhaven River around 2pm this afternoon.

Parkin has said the vessel passed the extensive sea trial yesterday with ‘flying colours’ and the vessel will now be able to provide many more years of service to rescue operations. 

“Shoalhaven 30 is a solid Steber vessel and she has served the unit extremely well over the years. We look forward to another good decade of service from her,” Parkin said.