Two men have been rescued from a yacht after it broke down in extreme weather conditions off the New South Wales coast.
The 12-metre yacht ran into trouble five nautical miles north-west of Port Macquarie at 8pm on Monday after “harrowing” conditions affected the yacht’s ability to sail.
Marine Rescue Port Macquarie deployed the rescue vessel Port Macquarie 30 after the skipper called for help.
The Port Macquarie 30’s crew – skipper Len Smart, Rob Britten, David Withers, Bruce Lee, Michael Ranson-Smith and Warren Gowing – were able to establish a tow line between boats.
“The disabled vessel initially lost its boom and steering capability and later its motor, radio and mobile communications,” Marine Rescue Port Macquarie Unit Commander Greg Davies said in a statement.
“The wind was gusting at 57 knots (105 km/h) and there was a four- to five-metre swell.”
“Waves were breaking over both vessels and there were visibility issues but the Marine Rescue crew worked really hard and did a brilliant job in very challenging conditions.”
A second rescue vessel, Port Macquarie 21, was deployed to help oversee the towing of the boat.
“Because the bar conditions were challenging and the towline was under stress we wanted to make sure that assistance was on hand in case the bar crossing didn’t go to plan,” Davies said.
“Thankfully it did.”
Davies was a part of the rescue team on Port Macquarie 21, including skipper Ray Angel.
