Mariners may attempt rescue today

An air force crew photographed the dismasted yacht Janette Gay yesterday. Picture / RNZAF

UPDATE - Exhausted yachties Bruce Cox and Heloise Kortekaas will be joined by another merchant ship north of the Chatham Islands later today as hopes for a rescue continue to rise.

After battling heavy winds and huge 14 metre swells in their dismasted yacht Janette Gay the Lyttelton couple were told yesterday by a circling air force crew that because of the atrocious conditions it would be tomorrow afternoon before they could be rescued.

The 5000-tonne cargo ship Maunakea could not take the injured couple off the yacht safely yesterday and the ship left the area to continue its voyage.

A New Zealand merchant ship, Southern Taire, has been diverted to help, but is not due in the area until tomorrow afternoon.

This morning, however, Maritime New Zealand spokeswoman Heidi Brook said another ship, P&O Nedlloyd Encounter, had made a slight alteration to its course and was due in the area about 6pm today.

"It is a huge vessel. It is much larger than the one yesterday. It is 45,800 gross tonnes and 285 metres long," said Ms Brook.

She said the ship's master would assess the conditions upon arrival and, if the weather improved as predicted, there was a chance the couple could be taken off the yacht today.

"That is what everyone would want to see happen. The good news is at least they will be able to go alongside and communicate with the yacht.

"It would give the yachties a little bit of reassurance. When you are out there on your own it is nice to have another vessel which comes in close."

Encounter has a life boat which may be used to transfer the yacht crew to the ship is the weather permits. 

Ms Brook said the weather was improving and the sea was expected to drop from 14 metre swells yesterday to about 3.5 metres today with a 15-knot wind.

The rescue centre has been monitoring the yacht's distress beacon, which at this stage is the couple's only means of long-range communication.

An RNZAF Orion was set to leave Whenuapai airbase, in northwest Auckland, at 10am today and was expected to arrive in the rescue area at 12.30pm.

The flight was delayed from 8am so that the Orion can be on scene at 6.30pm today when Encounter is expected to reach Janette Gay.

Ms Brook said this morning that the Orion needs to be in the area at the time the vessels rendezvous, so it can help Encounter locate Janette Gay. The condition of the two people on the yacht would not be known until the Orion was overhead and could communicate with the yacht on the short range VHF radio which was built into the emergency beacon dropped yesterday in a survival kit.

- NZPA