Two people rescued from shipwrecked yacht “at the mercy of the elements” in 24-hour ordeal

() – Two people were rescued after a terrifying night at sea when six-metre (20ft) waves tossed their crippled yacht nearly 200 miles off Australia’s east coast as they sped toward New Zealand.

Authorities were first alerted to the crew crisis around 1:00 p.m. Monday when they deployed a distress beacon, but hours passed before the first rescue helicopters located the ship.

The 20-meter yacht, Spirit of Mateship, was left without power or communications and was being hit by winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour (56 mph), as well as waves up to six meters high.

“(The helicopter crew) were able to fly over the yacht and radio the yacht, but they were unable to pick them up,” Australian Maritime Safety Authority Response Center service manager Ben Flight said.

Another rescue attempt was later abandoned due to rough seas, forcing the two people – a 60-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman – to spend what Flight described as a “horrible” night at sea.

“They were not injured, but the boat had suffered a mechanical problem of some kind and they could not steer it or make their way through the water, so they were drifting and also taking on water. So, they were in a pretty dire situation,” Flight said.

“They were at the mercy of the elements. They would have moved around quite uncomfortably. “It would have been particularly windy, noisy and probably quite wet too.”

Two Australian Navy ships, HMAS Arunta and HMAS Canberra, responded to calls for help, as did Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft, according to the Australian Defense Force (ADF).

The ships, along with a nearby merchant vessel, monitored the yacht’s location overnight and the rescue resumed in the early hours of the morning when conditions had improved.

The NSW Police Vessel Nemesis arrived at the yacht about 3am on Tuesday and deployed a smaller boat to rescue the sailors about 7.30am in rough seas with waves of four to five. meters.

“I don’t think they were able to rest during the night, so I imagine they would be pretty tired and very relieved to be rescued,” Flight said.

Flight said the outcome would have been much worse if the crew had not deployed the distress radio beacon, which issues a satellite alert to notify the rescue coordination center of their location.

The Spirit of Mateship has competed in the prestigious Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race several times, with crew made up of wounded veterans and military personnel.

Together they raised money to help military veterans. However, the yacht has since changed owners, according to Flight.

The rescued sailors are expected to return to Sydney this Tuesday night after a 12-hour journey.