Jurien Bay Marine Rescue team awarded for brave mission in dangerous swell to save three after boat capsizes

Braving wild weather and risking their own safety to save the crew of a capsized yacht has earnt Jurien Bay Marine Rescue a prestigious accolade for the second year running. The volunteers of Jurien Bay Marine Rescue won the team achievement award at the 2023 WA Fire and Emergency Services Awards announced at the weekend. The group’s bravery and perseverance during the mission in May 2022, which unfolded after a 1am distress call, was recognised and applauded. The marine rescue crew braved gale-force winds and dangerous swell to rescue three crew members of a yacht that had capsized 13km from shore. The rescue vessel was being pounded by waves, as skipper Mick Cockburn expertly manoeuvred close to the capsized yacht so commander Chrissy Heu could throw a life ring to the last person on board. “The swells that night were supposed to be up to 7m and we couldn’t see anything, it was so noisy when the waves hit. We couldn’t even see the top of the wave and they come over us,” Ms Heu said. “It took us a while to locate them because the signal sort of cut out a bit. We had air support thank goodness — they told us where they’ll be. I think we were out there for nearly two hours.” Ms Heu said she was quite surprised that the team received the award and wanted to thank Sharon Stiles for her patience with the radio operations during the rescue. “She knew that we wouldn’t be able to get to the radios because it was that rough we were just hanging on to whatever we could. We had a large wave that come through our back cabin door, we were standing in a pool of water trying to rescue these three boaties,” she said. “She just waited til we could make our way to the radios because it was that rough.” Ms Heu said although it was a “very surreal” rescue, it was about trusting your crew and skipper, as well as keeping up to date with training. The judges found “the successful mission was underpinned by the crew’s courage, calmness under pressure and extensive marine training”. Jurien Bay Marine Rescue won the same award last year for the successful rescue of five people in May 2021, including a father and his 11-year-old daughter. The WAFES Awards honour the achievements of groups and individuals working and volunteering on the frontline for our invaluable emergency services. Martin Sellar, from Geraldton Fire Station, won the WAFES award for career fire and rescue service individual achievement for development of an interactive training resource that simulates real-life incidents. Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said the winners had gone above and beyond to protect their communities. “This year’s winners should feel incredibly proud of their achievements and service to our community,” he said. In the marine rescue field, 39 groups covering more than 10,000km of coastline in WA responded to 1755 incidents last financial year.