WEATHER ALERT

2 people are rescued from a disabled yacht off the Australian coast

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SYDNEY (AP) — Two people were rescued unharmed Tuesday after spending a night aboard a disabled yacht in heavy seas off the Australian coast.

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This article was published 02/09/2024 (398 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SYDNEY (AP) — Two people were rescued unharmed Tuesday after spending a night aboard a disabled yacht in heavy seas off the Australian coast.

The 60-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman were rescued at 7:30 a.m. from their 19-meter (62-foot) yacht, which was abandoned 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of the New South Wales state coast, Police Chief Inspector Anthony Brazzill said. The pair were expected to reach Sydney aboard a police boat Tuesday night.

The pair had activated their emergency beacon around 1 p.m. Monday, about 185 kilometers (115 miles) east of the New South Wales coastal town of Nowra, police said.

Sailor Craig McCarthy stands on the deck of the yacht
Sailor Craig McCarthy stands on the deck of the yacht "Spirit of Mateship" in Sydney on Nov. 23, 2013. (Quentin Jones/AAP Image via AP)

The yacht, “Spirit of Mateship,” had experienced a mechanical failure, lost a rudder, was taking water and was drifting east away from the shore, Brazzill said. With an ocean swell of 5 to 6 meters (16 to 20 feet) and winds of up 110 kilometers (70 miles) per hour, he said, conditions were considered too dangerous to attempt a rescue in the dark.

An air force C-130 Hercules transport plane flew to the yacht and made radio contact with the two people onboard. A police boat and an Australian navy warship reached the yacht early Tuesday.

Brazzill said a winching rescue by military helicopter was considered, but ruled out as too dangerous because of the sea conditions.

The pair were rescued in a small craft launched from the police boat, he said.

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