FISHERMAN’S ORDEAL

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31151, 30 August 1966, Page 15

FISHERMAN’S ORDEAL

Long Swim To Shore

CN.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) PERTH, August 29.

Two fishermen swam five miles in four hours through heavy seas after their open boat sank on Saturday. Then they trudged nearly two miles to Ledge Point, near Lancelin, 45 miles north of Perth, where a rescue fleet was assembling. During their swim to safety the men, Victor Muran, aged 40, and Norman Mundy, aged 24, both wore life jackets and were lashed together with rope.

“We were more under water than above it in that swim,” Mr Muran said later.

“When daylight came we could see the sandhills, but there was a strong rip to fight against. The. last 500 yards were the hardest. We thought we would never make it.”

The men had been reported missing on Friday morning when they failed to return to Lancelin after ah overnight fishing trip. The magneto of their boat engine failed about 16 miles offshore while they were returning to Lancelin about midnight on Thursday. They dropped anchor and waited until 4 p.m. on Friday, when the weather worsened.

During the night a passing ship hove to for about three hours, but no help reached the stranded fishermen. Mr Muran made a sea anchor from a crayfish basket to keep the boat head on to the rising seas.

The boat was driven towards the shore until the sea anchor snagged a reef at 5 p.m. on Friday. The sea anchor broke off about 3 a.m. on Saturday. Soon after, the boat overturned. During the night the men used a torch to signal Lancelin and Ledge Point. The light was seen but the seas blocked any rescue bid.

Seas smashed their boat and the two men were thrown into the sea.