Four stricken sailors have been rescued from a drifting life raft after abandoning their yacht near Great Barrier Island.
The four crewmen abandoned ship 90km east-north-east of Great Barrier Island.
Rescue Coordination Centre NZ (RCCNZ) was monitoring the yacht's position, after it was alerted by satellite phone that the yacht, the Squander, had suffered rigging damage while trying to reach Tonga, and was turning back.
![](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/QKECHHMWOZBZXAFTXJTHHBBZCM.jpg?auth=5677db14bd2da564f28cb3918736cd92832efd4860202f158a7183a8ef7bcdca&width=16&height=22&quality=70&smart=true)
At 9.30am RCCNZ then received a distress alert from its emergency beacon as the four crew abandoned their yacht into their life raft.