The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) blessed and named a new rescue boat at Club Mykonos in Langebaan on Saturday, 17 October. The Offshore Rescue Craft is called Spirit of Shoprite Sixty60.
The boat will serve NSRI Station 4 Mykonos on the West Coast, according to Cape Town Etc. Its building was paid for partly by families who donated to honour loved ones.
Station commander Nic Stevens said the launch showed how far the station had come since it opened in 2004. He recalled that the station started with only a container and a second-hand 5.5-metre boat.
Stevens thanked the people who made the boat possible. These included individual donors, the Shoprite Group and everyone who took part in the NSRI’s Celebrate a Life campaign.
The campaign lets people and families honour someone they love while giving money to sea rescue. The names of those being honoured are shown inside the RESCUE lettering on the side of the boat.
One family chose to honour their late mother. They had found out that she quietly supported the NSRI while she was alive.
Another tribute is for a wife who helped her husband recover from a serious accident. Other names mark birthdays and wedding anniversaries.
The names will travel with the crew each time the boat goes out to help people in danger. Stevens spoke about what it means to take the names of loved ones out to sea during rescues.
The boat’s name comes from a new sponsorship by the Shoprite Group. The company is supporting Rescue 4 and the wider work of the NSRI.
NSRI chief executive officer Mike Vonk said the day showed how different kinds of support help keep the rescue service going. He thanked donors for sharing the stories behind the names on the boat.
Shoprite Group chief marketing officer Ilze Bylos spoke about the value of supporting rescue crews who respond to emergencies. She wished the boat and its crew a safe passage.
Bylos formally named the boat at the event. Chaplain Maryke Venter led the blessing.
The new craft joins other NSRI boats that carry similar tributes. These include The Legacy in Hermanus and Bay Guardian in Gqeberha.
The NSRI is run by volunteer crews who go out to sea when people call for help. Station 4 Mykonos covers part of the West Coast from its base in Langebaan.
The boat will look different for a short time because of the sponsorship. It will carry teal Checkers branding until December and then return to the usual NSRI red colours.
The names inside the RESCUE lettering will stay on the boat for as long as it is in service.
Source: this article is based on reporting by Cape Town ETC. Image: Cape Town ETC. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.