Yachtie rescued

by Tracey Roxburgh,NZ Southland Times on 26 Apr 2005 A 71-year-old solo yachtsman yesterday lost all power south-west of Muttonbird Island, near the southern tip of Stewart Island, in poor weather with winds of up to 50kmh.

Search and Rescue mission controller John Dickson said the Rescue Co-ordination Centre received a call for help about 9am yesterday and arranged for a helicopter to meet the yacht and drop a battery and water pump to the skipper.

A fishing boat also made its way to the troubled yachtie, reaching him about midday.

The man, an American, requested he be taken off his yacht but was too exhausted to be winched off by helicopter, Mr Dickson said.

Instead, the fishing boat took the yacht under tow after putting a crewman on board and headed for Easy Harbour, on the western side of Stewart Island.

The man was transferred to the fishing boat, where he was winched by helicopter and taken to Southland Hospital for a checkup yesterday afternoon.