Family and community overjoyed as missing SA boaties Derek Robinson and Tony Higgins found alive
The brother of one of the missing boaties said he was “over the moon” to discover the two men were safe – while locals familiar with the wild Southern Ocean consider their survival a miracle.
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The brother of missing boatie Derek Robinson said he was “over the moon” to discover the two men had survived their ordeal and were uninjured.
“I’ve never been happier, my brother is alive,” Ian Robinson said.
“I am happy as a pig in sh*t. I was losing the plot for the last couple of days.
“(But) I was not giving up until there was a body, debris, or a boat.”
Mates Derek Robinson, 48, and Tony Higgins, 57, made contact with police on Wednesday night, more than four days after their vessel vanished off the Eyre Peninsula coast, drifting to a remote location near Salt Creek.
On Thursday morning, police started towing their vessel to Victor Harbor.
Mr Robinson said his family was scared they were being pranked after hearing the men had made contact.
“We had bits of information last night, then we found out early hours this morning about 4am (it was real),” he said.
“The anxiety and pain you go through, I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemy. It’s been emotional.”
He said Derek was an adventurous person – “I think Derek would be laughing about it, thinking it was more of an adventure, they wouldn’t have known what was going on”.
“When I heard (they were okay) I burst out crying. Feeling like the weight of the world on your shoulders, then getting told that they’ve made contact, it was like we were up in a hot air balloon. I’ve never been so happy.”
Mr Robinson said he was “gobsmacked” search planes failed to find the boat.
“We sort of figured that 12-hour span at night that no one is looking, they’ve crept through,” he said.
“I’d just like to thank everyone that was involved in the search and all the prayers.”
Mr Robinson said he couldn’t wait to be reunited with his brother, but wasn’t sure if he’d “go up and hug him or punch him out” for giving the family such a fright.
Lucky to be alive
Coffin Bay Oyster Farmer, Peter Anderson said the pair are lucky to be alive, noting that things can turn deadly in an instant once you hit open waters.
“These guys are deadset lucky they have been found, considering some of the things they have done probably weren’t the smartest,” he said.
“Things can change pretty quickly, especially when you are in an old boat that you don’t know and probably haven’t been out in these conditions for a long time.”
Full of keen fisherman and oyster farmers, Coffin Bay residents know their sea better than anyone else.
“Being people that live by the sea and use the sea a lot we knew that the chances of them being found were very slim,” Mr Anderson said.
“To be honest we all expected the worst. Well done to the authorities and it’s a lesson learnt to anyone who is thinking of venturing into these conditions.”
The men made purchases from the Coffin Bay general store on the Thursday before their infamous trip began.
Employees of the convenience store were still shaken by the experience.
“We all just about fell over when we heard they had been found,” one worker said.
“We served them the day they left, they didn’t buy anything out of the ordinary but it’s definitely been a shock.”
Serious bit of wild ocean
Alexandrina Mayor Keith Parkes welcomed the news and couldn’t believe “how lucky they are”.
“It’s such a dangerous bit of water,” he said
“Where they are now, they’re out in the Southern Ocean which is down along the Coorong so the police have had a chance to talk to them.
“We don’t know which way they went – they could have come on the mainland side of Kangaroo Island, gone down the Backstairs Passage which has extremely treacherous waters or they could have gone around the western side of Kangaroo Island and right out in the ocean and drifted to where they are now. More than likely they would have gone down that western side.
“It’s a very serious bit of wild ocean with nothing to slow the waves down and (has) strong currents and to have survived all this time out there is amazing.
“They’re so lucky, they should buy a lottery ticket.”