Yachties warned about radio equipment

Officials say a yacht for which an Orion spent up to three days searching should have had better radio gear.

One of the two crew on the 8.5m steel sloop Bluenose had a heart condition but for three weeks no one knew where the yacht was or if there was a problem on its voyage from Auckland to Tonga.

It was blown 1700km off course.

The family raised the alarm when it was more than a week overdue.

It was found at a small island in New Caledonia on Sunday after an RNZAF Orion had spent several days searching a 40,000 square nautical mile area.

The yacht's position was passed to the Rescue Coordination Centre by another vessel.

Rescue centre spokesman Steve Corbett said the yacht had on board a VHF radio and a emergency locator beacon which was the minimum required for ocean-going yachts leaving New Zealand.

He said VHF was a "line of sight" radio communication and was not enough for ocean-going yachts.

Rescue officials had grave fears for the welfare of one of the men on the yacht, 75-year-old David Jones, who had a heart condition.

Had he had a heart attack or a medical complication, he could not have called for help other than by using their emergency beacon.

"We will certainly be talking to them once they get back to the mainland," Mr Corbett said.

He said VHF was a very limited, short range radio system.

"Several hundred boats make that trip every year and I guess it is a lesson to all of them to be as well equipped and prepared a possible and carry a second means of communication," he said.

"But they are passionate people obviously and love the sea and are prepared to take these risks."

The other man on the yacht was the son of the elderly man, Martin Jones, 38.

The daughter and sister of the men said today the family was happy to hear they were all right after a nervous wait.

"Mum has been waiting for them in Tonga for the past nearly two weeks now and she's ordered them straight on a plane home," Lily Jones told National Radio.

Ms Jones said the family had heard by email from the men they were unharmed -- frustratingly after staying off line so they wouldn't miss a phone call from the men.

"They said that they had heard on the Radio New Zealand International news that they were missing and they were horrified, which is why they quickly moored at Isle of Pines and asked the police to contact New Zealand," Ms Jones said.

- NZPA