A man has been rescued from a yacht in one of Queensland's most isolated coastal regions, following a fall onboard that triggered a complex offshore operation.
Emergency Response to Remote Location
Emergency crews were called on Monday to a 19-metre vessel off Port Clinton, situated on the south-eastern edge of Shoalwater Bay, approximately 100 kilometres north of Rockhampton. The man, aged in his 70s, had suffered suspected lower body injuries.
An aerial assessment was conducted upon arrival, but rescuers were unable to winch the patient due to the yacht's masts, rigging and coverings. Winching is typically the fastest rescue method, but the superstructure posed a serious entanglement risk, and the helicopter's rotor wash could destabilise the boat.
Alternative Extraction Method Employed
Instead of winching, a critical care paramedic and a rescue crew officer were transported to the vessel via a small tender. They treated the man and worked to safely extract him. The rescue team had to transfer the patient from the towering yacht onto the small tender, carefully managing the height difference and movement between the two boats.
The CapRescue Rescue300 crew ruled out winching due to the yacht's structure and the risk from rotor wash. Paramedics treated the injured man onboard before preparing him for the tricky transfer to the waiting tender. The inflatable tender was used for this delicate operation, which involved moving between two moving vessels.
Successful Rescue and Medical Transfer
The operation took approximately 45 minutes, with crews carefully moving the patient on a stretcher from one boat to the other. The man was brought back to shore before being airlifted by the CapRescue Rescue300 helicopter to Rockhampton Hospital for further treatment.
