WATCH | Launch was ‘perfect’‚ but bakkie's swim ‘unfortunate’

“It was just a freak accident‚” was how Ballito Ski Boat Club acting chairperson Michael Pearce described a boat launch that went horribly wrong on Monday morning at about 5am.

Local fisherman Herman Labuschagne asked his friend‚ Dirk Kriel‚ on Monday morning to launch his boat at the beach in Ballito. Kriel drove Labuschagne’s Toyota double-cab Hilux bakkie into the ocean before Labuschagne released his Cobra Cat boat named Pella without a hitch.

Things went awry when the bakkie failed to go into reverse and was caught in the swell. Kriel managed to escape before the bakkie was flipped by the waves. Everyone escaped unhurt.

Pearce said that this was the most popular launch method in KwaZulu-Natal for bigger boats.

“It’s not something that some palooka just suddenly came down on holiday and decided he’s gonna try a new method. It’s a tried and trusted method.”

Pearce said waves had previously splashed cars launching boats using the same method‚ but he had never seen a car dragged into the ocean.

Pearce said Labuschagne was not commenting on the incident. The bakkie has been written off.

“It’s kaput. It’s really bad.”

Labuschagne remained out at sea‚ because of the possible danger of the bakkie rolling onto the boat in the surf. It took about 90 minutes to retrieve the bakkie from the waves.

Pearce said Labuschange and Kriel were “avid fishermen”.

“They fish more than they probably have breakfast. They are always on the water. They love it.”