A retired sailor and his wife have lost most of their worldly possessions and their home after their yacht ran aground off Ruakaka in Northland.
On Saturday, Geoff Phillips (77) had been trying to help out his wife Aylin, who was in a dinghy a little closer to shore, but got stuck in the shallower water.
"It was just an idiot moment," he said. "She's a write-off, we've got nothing."
Mr Phillips said the vessel was more than just a yacht - it was their home with all their personal belongings inside.
The experienced sailor had initially set sail from Australia in 2001 with a plan to sail around the world, but after a tour around New Zealand he decided to make himself at home.
"We have been living on the boat for the past five or six years, it's been a wonderful lifestyle.
"It was the most comfortable place that we'd filled with our personal belongings ... it was our baby, our home."
The couple had third party insurance and their contents were not covered, meaning they'd have to start again from scratch.
"She's going to have to be scrapped," he said. "We now need to find a home and just chill and reassess and think about where to next."
But Mr Phillips said despite having lost virtually everything except for the clothes on their backs, they were grateful to be alive.
He said the locals had been "wonderful" while the yacht remains stricken offshore.
Mr Phillips said they'd spent the first night on the beach, but found it too wet and cold.
"People have taken us into their homes and fed us, everybody is trying to help."
Several attempts to refloat the yacht have so far failed.
Mr Phillips said another attempt would be made later today.
- Corazon Miller of the New Zealand Herald
