A 51-foot Australian flagged yacht named Tai Tam sank after hitting a whale, forcing four crewmembers to abandon ship and board a life raft. Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Center dispatched a RNZAF aircraft to help the crew and alerted other vessels in the area to assist the crew.
The sailors spent several hours in the life raft before being rescued at around 6 a.m. by the crew of MV SOFRANA SURVILLE, a 143-meter cargo vessel. The four sailors were on board the cargo ship on Sept. 27 and were taken to the nearest port to disembark.
“The crew of the yacht did all the right things, and it was unfortunate to have struck a whale in open water. They were well prepared and the early activation of their EPIRB was key to helping get them to safety. It is an excellent reminder that being prepared when going to sea can save your life,” said Mike Clulow, rescue coordination center operations manager.
