KEY POINTS:
Almost 2000 holiday-making cruise ship passengers took a 24-hour detour to rescue four stricken sailors stuck on a reef in the Coral Sea yesterday.
The New Zealand-registered P&O Cruises' liner Pacific Sun changed course and steamed at full-speed to the shipwrecked sailors when their distress beacon was set off at 6.30am yesterday.
The liner, carrying almost 2000 passengers and crew, was on its return voyage from Vanuatu to Brisbane when the call was logged.
The four sailors - a New Zealander, two Frenchmen and an American - had been travelling from Noumea to Australia aboard the New Zealand-registered 14-metre yacht Sambaluka.
Just before 6am the yacht ran aground at Middle Boronia Reef in the Coral Sea, about 500 nautical miles east of Mackay, Queensland.
Noumean authorities sent a plane to track the stricken yacht and drop a liferaft for the crew.
An Australian Defence Force Hercules left from Townsville to oversee the rescue operation.
The Pacific Sun picked up the four sailors at about 4.30pm. They were in a liferaft, having abandoned their sinking yacht.
An Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokesman said none of the four sailors was injured. "I understand they are wet, a bit frightened, but okay," the spokesman said. He told the Brisbane Times the cruise ship had put out a boat and picked the sailors up from the shallow water.
The Sambaluka is registered to New Zealander Rob Cole, but it was not known last night whether Mr Cole was the New Zealander on the boat.
Ann Sherry, chief executive of Carnival Australia, which owns P&O Cruises, last night thanked the liner's passengers for their understanding.
"I would like to thank our passengers - both those who are currently on the ship and those who are travelling on the next voyage - for their understanding and compassion."
The liner was due to arrive in Brisbane at 6am today but her arrival and departure was now expected to be delayed by 24 hours.
