Sailors plucked from upturned catamaran near Fraser Island

A rescue operation near Fraser Island on Thursday night retrieved two sailors from an upturned catamaran.

A RESCUE operation near Fraser Island on Thursday night retrieved two sailors from an upturned catamaran.

The Maroochydore-based Sunshine Coast RACQ CareFlight rescue helicopter located an upturned 12-metre catamaran on the Wide Bay Bar, just south of Fraser Island, after receiving the call-out at 11.20pm.

An emergency beacon had been set off after the vessel ran into trouble.

The emergency helicopter arrived at the scene to find the vessel had overturned in breaking waves on the eastern side of the Wide Bay Bar.

The two sailors were found atop the craft waiting for rescue.

The CareFlight helicopter performed overwatch duties while coordinating with the local Coastguard watercraft, which was able to collect the stranded sailors.

CareFlight Aircrew Officer Dan Leggat said that the mission was particularly well executed thanks to one piece of essential equipment.

"I think the defining aspect of this successful mission was the use of Night Vision Goggles (NVGs)," he said.

"Using our on-board NVGs we were able to detected the faint flicker of the small lights attached the personal floatation devices that the sailors were wearing."

"Those lights, however faint, were actually one of the first things we saw - which made finding the vessel all the more easier."

"I think, without the use of NVGs, the mission would have been incredibly more difficult."

The CareFlight helicopter returned to base at 1.45am.