Two people trapped on a stricken yacht 1260km northwest of
New Zealand have been rescued by the crew of a cargo ship
this morning.
Auckland woman Tania Davies, 43, and Australian-based Briton
Steve Jones, 52, were rescued from their damaged yacht
Windigo about 9am and are now safely aboard the cargo ship
Chengtu.
They both suffered mild to moderate head injuries after their
11.6m yacht rolled after leaving Tonga two days ago.
Mr Jones has also suffered a back injury; however, none of
the injuries are believed to be serious.
Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Keith Allen from the
Rescue Coordination Centre paid tribute to the efforts of the
Chengtu, the yacht Adventure Bound which assisted the rescue
overnight, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force, which
provided a P3-Orion that made three trips to the stricken
yacht, providing the only communications link.
A French naval plane also made two trips from Noumea to the
scene.
"This is the outcome we have been working towards since the
emergency beacon was activated on Wednesday afternoon,'' Mr
Allen said.
"It is the result of an excellent coordinated effort
involving the RNZAF, which provided a link for the two people
on the Windigo when there was no other means of contact, and
the Navy, and I would also like to express my appreciation to
the captain of the Chengtu and the crew of the Adventure
Bound for their efforts."
The pair's medical conditions will be assessed aboard the
Chengtu, which is heading south to meet Navy vessel HMNZS
Otago late this afternoon.
- By Brendan Manning of APNZ
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