Injured yachtie shunned painkillers

Heloise Kortekaas (top) says Bruce Cox is a strong and courageous man. Picture / Simon Baker

Badly injured yachtie Bruce Cox shunned painkillers for 12 days so he could keep his wits about him.

"He would be the most strongest and courageous man that I know," said partner Heloise Kortekaas after the pair arrived in Christchurch by air ambulance.

Mr Cox suffered back, leg and hip injuries and severe bruising across his body during a harrowing ordeal at sea when their yacht, Janette Gay, was struck by a fierce storm about 800km northeast of the Chatham Islands.

After failed efforts to rescue the pair earlier in the week, better weather allowed the P&O Nedlloyd container ship Encounter to pluck them to safety on Tuesday night.

Yesterday, paramedic Keith Frewen was winched down from a rescue helicopter to take the couple off the Encounter in what he called a "wonderful copybook rescue".

The helicopter then flew to the Chathams, where the air ambulance was waiting.

Safely back in Christchurch yesterday, Mr Cox hugged his tearful children from his stretcher. The three teenagers were the first to greet him when he was lowered from the Life Flight air ambulance.

"He seemed quite groggy and in a wee bit of pain," said Mr Cox's cousin, Blair Tissiman, who was also at the airport.

"He's not really saying much. He's not up to that. They have got him drugged up a bit. He just said gidday and that's about it."

Ms Kortekaas, who celebrated her 46th birthday yesterday, walked to the waiting road ambulance before being joined by Mr Cox on the stretcher.

She told TV3 during her flight back to New Zealand that being rescued felt "fantastic".

"As Bruce said earlier, thank God we are New Zealanders. Probably in any other country in the world we wouldn't have made it. Our thanks to everyone involved in the rescue.

"We didn't think we were going to make it. We talked about dying ... quite a few times we thought that we were going to die."

The Lyttelton couple were sailing from Lyttelton to the Cook Islands when the storm struck. On Saturday, the yacht rolled and lost its mast.

"They were very grateful to be rescued," Mr Frewen said. "They were just really thankful that they were in a helicopter and heading back towards some land."

Mr Cox was given pain medication on the air ambulance and last night was being treated in Christchurch Hospital.

"I don't think any of the injuries will be lasting," said Mr Frewen. "He may have a back injury that will go on for a while but it's not severe at this stage."

Ms Kortekaas was treated briefly for a shoulder injury and bruising.

She told TV3 that for the first few days of the storm "I got very angry [with nature] but then really there's nothing you can do, just try and keep calm and keep our heads".

"They say storms do end and we hoped that they would end, but they just kept on going.

"I did think about things I'd done in my life and if I did get another chance I would approach things a little differently, maybe not be so selfish ... all those things when death faces you.

"I'm not going to forget this birthday, neither is Bruce - his was only a couple of days ago. It's the best gift."

John Marshall, who runs a Lyttelton bar frequented by the couple, said their rescuers "are welcome to come in for a pint anytime".