A rescue boat battles high seas to reach two people on board a damaged yacht. Photo: NSW Police.
Two people have been rescued from a yacht after it started taking on water about 150 km offshore from Nowra.
At about 1 pm on Monday (2 September), officers from the Marine Area Command and Australian Defence Force were notified by the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre after a distress beacon was activated onboard the Spirit of Mateship.
The 19-metre vessel is believed to have sustained a mechanical issue.
A rescue operation involving the NSW Police vessel Nemesis and HMAS Canberra was launched and the vessel was located about 1 am on Tuesday (3 September) 170 nautical miles southeast of Sydney Heads.
The rescue operation was suspended overnight due to extreme weather conditions; and resumed at first light on Tuesday.
The 60-year-old man and 48-year-old woman on board were rescued uninjured at about 7:25 am.
They are on board the Nemesis travelling to Sydney and are expected to arrive at NSW Police Marine Area Command late on Tuesday night.
The Spirit of Mateship has taken part in several Sydney to Hobart races.
Australian Maritime and Safety Authority duty manager Ben Flight told ABC Radio the pair was in good spirits.
He said the HMAS Canberra was providing a “bit of a shielding presence from the wind and the sea to try and calm the local environment down”.
“It’s still around 50 to 60 km winds and 4 to 5 m seas this morning so very, very dangerous and trying conditions,” he said.
“The team did a really good job this morning getting the two people off safely.”
The yacht had to be abandoned.
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