A new rescue boat serving the West Coast carries more than the equipment needed to respond to emergencies at sea. Its name and lettering also honour people whose lives have touched others, turning personal memories into part of an ongoing lifesaving mission.
Picture: Generic Image
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) officially blessed and named its new Offshore Rescue Craft, Spirit of Shoprite Sixty60, at Club Mykonos in Langebaan on Saturday, 17 October.
The vessel will serve NSRI Station 4 Mykonos, with its arrival marking a significant moment for the station’s volunteers and the families whose tributes helped fund its construction.
A rescue boat carrying personal tributes
The names displayed within the vessel’s RESCUE lettering have a special meaning. They belong to people being remembered or celebrated through the NSRI’s Celebrate a Life campaign, which allows individuals and families to honour loved ones while supporting sea rescue.
The tributes reflect different experiences of love, loss and gratitude.
One family chose to honour their late mother after discovering that she had quietly supported the NSRI during her lifetime. Another tribute recognises a wife whose care and encouragement helped her husband through recovery from a serious accident.
Other contributions celebrate milestones, including birthdays and wedding anniversaries.
Through these donations, the families have helped fund a rescue craft that will carry their loved ones’ names whenever its crew heads out to assist people in danger.
The vessel joins other NSRI boats carrying similar tributes, including The Legacy in Hermanus and Bay Guardian in Gqeberha.
Shoprite Group sponsorship supports sea rescue
The boat’s name, Spirit of Shoprite Sixty60, recognises a new sponsorship from the Shoprite Group in support of Rescue 4 and the NSRI’s lifesaving work.
The partnership brings corporate support together with contributions from individuals and families who want to make a difference through the organisation.
NSRI chief executive officer Mike Vonk said the occasion demonstrated how different forms of support help sustain the rescue service.
He thanked donors for sharing the stories behind the names displayed on the vessel, highlighting how their contributions would continue to accompany the volunteer crew at sea.
Shoprite Group chief marketing officer Ilze Bylos also acknowledged the importance of supporting rescue personnel who respond when emergencies occur.
She wished the vessel and its crew safe passage as they begin their service.
Bylos formally named the boat, while chaplain Maryke Venter conducted its blessing.
From a small beginning to a new rescue craft
For Station 4 Mykonos station commander Nic Stevens, the launch also represented how far the station has come since its establishment in 2004.
Stevens recalled the station’s early days, when its resources consisted of a container and a second-hand 5.5-metre boat.
The arrival of the new Offshore Rescue Craft reflects the development of the station and the contributions made by supporters across the country.
He thanked the people who had helped make the vessel possible, including individual donors, the Shoprite Group and everyone involved in the Celebrate a Life campaign.
Stevens also spoke about the significance of taking the names of loved ones out to sea while responding to emergencies.
For the crew, the inscriptions are a reminder that the vessel represents not only a rescue service but also the generosity of people who want to help others.
A lasting connection between remembrance and rescue
The vessel’s appearance will change temporarily as part of its sponsorship. It will carry Checkers’ teal branding until December before returning to the NSRI’s familiar red colours.
The names within the RESCUE lettering, however, will remain visible throughout the boat’s operational life.
For the families involved in Celebrate a Life, that permanence gives their tributes a continuing purpose. Their loved ones will be represented on a vessel dedicated to helping people in danger along the West Coast.
As Spirit of Shoprite Sixty60 begins its service from Mykonos, its story brings together community support, personal remembrance and the work of volunteer sea rescuers.
Every time the crew launches to answer a distress call, the names carried on the boat will form part of that mission.
Cape Etc previously shared this article.
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