Hero

Once in a while you get those rare occasions where you become a hero or heroine to someone. Johanna Theofelius (pictured) recently wasted no time when she spotted something out of the ordinary floating in the channel off the port of Walvis Bay. 

Johanna is a crew member of the pilot boat Seagull. When she spotted this object floating she alerted the wheel man and other crew members. Upon closer inspection they instantly knew there was something seriously wrong. The object turned out to be a capsized canoe and the person on the canoe was trapped under it, having difficulty to get the canoe upright again and in doing so save himself from drowning.
Johanna instinctively threw a life buoy at the struggling man and they managed to pull him from the water. The water was very cold, the stream was strong and the wind was blowing. Had they not spotted the man and the capsized canoe he would have perished within minutes from either drowning or hypothermia.
Speaking to Namport’s heroine, Johanna said in her eight years at Namport she never had a dull day and the recent incident was extraordinary. “We have been trained to save lives at sea and it is an immense joy to know that I could make a difference in that man’s life recently”, she explained. Adding: “I could not leave a fellow human being floating in the ocean in the name of executing my duties.”
Speaking to the grateful wife of the survivor, Ms. Cicka Smith, she only had words of deep thankfulness. She could not hide her joy in what Johanna Theofelius did and whose bravery and decisive actions saved her husband’s life.
Not only did the crew of Seagull rescued Mr. Desmond Howard, but also safely retrieved the canoe.
“Thank you so much Johanna. I was extra thrilled when I learnt that it was a fellow-woman who played a critical role in ensuring the safety of my husband. Namport should really take special notice of this rescue”, said Mrs. Howard.
It was understood Mr. Howard was saved a mere 5 minutes after his canoe capsized and his fight for life against the mighty Atlantic started.   He said in the aftermath: “Had there been any delay, I would have died as a result of hyperthermia as the water is very cold. I really want to say thank you so much to this team and more so to the vigilant Ms. Johanna. Thank you Namport.”

∙A pilot boat is a type of boat used to transport maritime pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships. Marine pilots are the only persons allowed to command ships into or out of a port.