NSW Water Police have rescued a yacht stranded in difficult conditions off the north coast of NSW, after a 15-hour operation to recover the vessel.
At around 12pm yesterday (Sunday 9th October 2022), emergency services were called to reports that a Queensland yacht was in trouble approximately 50 nautical miles off the north coast of New South Wales, near of Kingscliff.
Officers attached to Tweed Heads Water Police located the vessel with a jagged mainsail and no engine, with two men – aged 56 and 61 – on board.
At around 3:30 p.m., police began towing the vessel in extreme weather conditions, which resulted in the towline breaking several times.
For security reasons, police were unable to drive through the Tweed Bar and instead towed the vessel to Southport, Queensland, where they arrived at around 6.30am this morning (Monday 10 October 2022).
One of the officers involved in the operation – a senior constable – was taken to Tweed Heads Hospital in stable condition, suffering from dehydration, exhaustion and a back injury sustained during the rescue.
The two boaters are unharmed.
