A 60-year-old man and 48-year-old woman have been safely rescued from a yacht, following a major sea rescue on the state’s south coast.
Police say that at around 1pm on Monday, 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 a vessel, approximately 150km offshore from Nowra.
The 19-metre Spirit of Mateship vessel, which has been in several Sydney to Hobart races, is believed to have sustained a mechanical issue and was taking on water.
A rescue operation, involving the NSW Police vessel Nemesis and HMAS Canberra was launched, with officers making contact with a man and woman on board, who were approximately 170 nautical miles southeast of Sydney Heads, at about 1am this morning.
The rescue operation was suspended overnight due to extreme weather conditions; and resumed at first light today.
At around 7:25am today the man and woman were safely rescued from the vessel uninjured, NSW Police said in a statement.
“They are currently on board the NEMESIS, travelling to Sydney. It is anticipated the NEMESIS will arrive at NSW Police Marine Area Command late tonight,” Police said.
