The Ballina Volunteer Marine Rescue vessel that was flipped upside down and abandoned during a dramatic storm in the early hours of Monday morning washed up along a lonely strip of South Ballina Beach yesterday.
This remarkable aerial photograph, taken by pilot and Echonetdaily reader Margaret Howes, shows how the boat (left) came to rest alongside the much larger motor vessel it was trying to rescue at the time of the accident. Both vessels are still flipped over.
Marine Rescue Commisioner Stacey Tannos yesterday that two of the three hospitalised men had been discharged. ‘All three are in good spirits,’ he told Echonetdaily.
Officials have already begun mulling over how to best salvage the boat, which was due for replacement this year.
Until a decision is made on whether to repair the boat or wait for a replacement, the area around Ballina bar will be jointly patrolled by Evans Head and Brunswick Heads Volunteer Marine Rescue boats.
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