Mr Drury said upon seeing the yacht run aground, several lifeguards jumped into action and approached it. One of our lifeguards courageously hopped in the vessel which was still running, and tried at first to get it off the beach, Mr Drury said. It took a lot of guts to get on that boat, you don t know what you re walking into sometimes. I m extremely proud of our lifeguard services. Sunshine Coast Lifeguard Supervisor Rhys Drury said the sailor was “extremely lucky” to be alive after the ordeal. Picture: Patrick Woods. The courageous lifeguard first on scene was Corey Jones, who said he didn t know what to expect as he climbed aboard.
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UPDATE
Coast Guard crews have been forced to abandon attempts to tow a stranded vessel back to shore.
A Coast Guard Mooloolaba spokesman said the boat’s owner, David Simpson, joined a coast guard crew on Wednesday morning as they tried to dislodge the boat.
However, the crew was forced to abandon the effort due to the tow rope snapping and the boat filling with water.
The spokesman said the crew was now planning a salvage operation and would need to pump out the water the boat was taking on.
He said they would return to the boat when conditions allowed.
The man, aged in his 60s, had been on the vessel with just his dog when he fell into the water. Lifeguards and beachgoers spotted the boat - M.V Focus - moving erratically and aimlessly off the northern tip of Bribie Island. Lifeguards noticed the vessel had run aground just after 4pm and immediately responded, Sunshine Coast Lifeguard Supervisor Rhys Drury said. They conducted a search of the vessel and no one was located on board. Water police and a rescue helicopter are conducting a search after a vessel ran aground at Caloundra with only a dog onboard. The dog is safe and well and was taken off the boat by lifeguards.