Navy, Air Force combine to rescue injured yachtie

Royal New Zealand Navy personnel aboard Inshore Patrol Vessel HMNZS Taupo rescued the yachtsman from the 11-metre yacht Boxing Kangaroo after crew aboard a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon found the vessel.

Taupo’s Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander Toby Mara said Taupo had been in the vicinity of Cape Palliser around 4pm when it heard the yachtsman calling for assistance via maritime radio.

At the time the yacht was believed to be near the entrance to Wellington Harbour.

“Things didn’t sound great,” said Lieutenant Commander Mara. “We got in touch with the local police and they gave us a search area.”

He said conditions were “horrible” with 30- to 40-knot winds and two metre swells, meaning Taupo’s speed had to be reduced. “White water was crashing over the bridge.”

A mayday call followed from Boxing Kangaroo, but there was no sign of the yacht near Wellington. A rescue helicopter was added to the search but had to depart as its fuel became low.

“They were using their searchlight, we were putting up flares and using our searchlight as well. Radar wasn’t picking him up. We were running out of ideas.

“Just as the helicopter went off station, we started transiting south, as we figured his drift would have been significant. What we didn’t realise was just how significant. By this point we had searched the majority of the southern coastline of the North Island.”

The P-8A Poseidon arrived overhead and proved invaluable almost immediately, locating the yacht in minutes.

“I don’t think we would have located him without the P-8A. They passed his position to us. We turned towards him as fast as we could – 18 knots – and reached him in 40 minutes.”

By then, tide and current had carried Boxing Kangaroo well out of the Cook Strait, to about 20 nautical miles due east of Cape Campbell.

Taupo’s experienced sea boat crew reached the yacht in the ship’s Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat, taking the sailor off the yacht shortly before midnight.

“The medic checked him over and we provided him clothing. The chefs prepared him a hot meal. He said he had fallen a few times and was wet and cold, but in fairly good spirits.

“We thought about taking the yacht under tow but the conditions were too dangerous.”

Taupo proceeded to its next port call, Napier, where the sailor disembarked.

Lieutenant Commander Mara says it was coincidence they happened to be there. “We had decided to come down the west coast from Northland and through the Cook Strait to conduct some sea training.

“It was a challenging rescue and we had our best people in the seaboat. It takes a lot of skill to get the boat alongside a yacht in these conditions and hold it there.”