Two rescued from Spirit of Mateship yacht off NSW south coast amid rough seas

Two rescued sailors, who were stranded out at sea off NSW’s south coast in their racing yacht, are feeling “safe, secure, and happy” after arriving safely back in Sydney and outlining their ordeal.

Two rescued sailors, who were stranded out at sea off NSW’s south coast in their racing yacht, are feeling “safe, secure, and happy” after arriving safely back in Sydney.

Boat owner Brett McIntosh, 60, shared an embrace with his son Jordan when he and his female friend and passenger Lisa, 48, arrived on dry land on Tuesday night.

“One of the guys made a great coffee, we had a meat pie,” Mr McIntosh said about the journey back.

He said waiting for rescue had been “alright”.

“The boat was more than seaworthy we were just tired, seasick and couldn’t continue any further.”

Sailors Lisa (left) and Brett reuniting with his son Jordan after they were rescued by police from their yacht Spirit of Mateship off Nowra, arriving back at the NSW Police Marine Area Command in Balmain. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“After what has happened with other boats down that way we decided to call in and I think we made the right decision.”

“It was just too much to keep going, it could have got worse,” Lisa said.

Lisa said she was planning to head back out to sea on Thursday despite the ordeal but Mr McIntosh admitted he would not be joining her.

When asked he hoped to get his boat back eventually, Mr McIntosh said “no, I like dry land now”.

Sailors Lisa and Brett said they felt safe and happy back on land. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“We would just like to say ‘have an EPERB (alert device)’ otherwise who knows where we would be,” he said.

Mr McIntosh said it was good to hear his son’s voice when they called during the return journey.

“He didn’t even ring me on Father’s Day,” he joked.

The pair said they were looking forward to reuniting with their family members and children now they were home safe.

The group walk together onto shore at Balmain on Tuesday night. Picture: Jonathan Ng

In front of assembled media on Tuesday night, Acting Deputy Fleet Commander Captain Ben Hissink thanked the Australian Defence Force, NSW water police, and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) for the successful rescue.

“HMAS Canberra and Arunta, the Royal Australian Airforce Hercules C130, and the police launch Nemesis supported and remained with the yacht overnight,” he said.

“We are extremely grateful Brett and Lisa are now safely ashore with their loved ones.”

Australian Maritime Safety Authority call manager Ben Flight said the successful rescue should serve as a reminder for all boaties to carry an EPIRB distress alert device.

“This incident highlights the crucial nature of carrying appropriate communication devices whenever you’re out on the water,” he said.

“Without the activation of the EPIRB it’s unlikely that we could have been aware of the distress situation.

“The successful outcome of the search and rescue is a result of the dedication and expertise of our search and rescue teams across Australia, and the fact Brett and Lisa were carrying the EPIRB.”

Stuck at sea

The pair were brought back to dry land by NSW Water Police on just after 6pm on Tuesday, almost 28 hours after they activated a distress beacon on-board former Sydney to Hobart yacht Spirit of Mateship.

Marine police were seen setting up a gangplank as a group of people waited on the dock nearby, before a young relative was seen climbing the stairs to the vessel’s second level and embracing the sailor.

Sergeant Ryan Spong describes the rescue of Lisa and Brett. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The pair, who had been stranded on the elite racing yacht off the NSW south coast, had earlier been “sound asleep” on a police boat after their incredible rescue in treacherous seas.

At the NSW Marine Area Command headquarters in Balmain earlier on Tuesday, Chief Inspector Anthony Brazzil said: “They are fatigued, they are uninjured, and very grateful.

Chief Inspector Brazzil said the pair had to jump from their sinking yacht onto the rescue vessel Nemesis in five to six metre swells, after a previous rescue attempt failed earlier in the night due to “terrible conditions”.

“It was pretty much a quick run, jump, and catch,” he said.

“It was a matter of basically just timing it … they had to jump as they came in (towards the rescue vessel) one at a time.

Brett and his son Jordan were joking about together after the dad’s rescue. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“Everyone was prepared to go and if people had gone in the water we obviously had the right people on board ready to rescue them straight away.”

The 60-year-old owner and his 48-year-old female companion left Jervis Bay yesterday or the day before bound for Sydney.

“They felt they did check the weather conditions, but we’ve had gale force warnings, whether that was the right move or not I don’t know … but would I go? Probably not,” said Chief Inspector Brazzil.

The Spirit of Mateship issued a distress signal on Monday afternoon.

Two people were rescued off the yacht on Tuesday. They were taken to Sydney on board NSW Police’s Nemesis vessel.

Although the rescue was successful, he said the yacht had to be abandoned in “terrible conditions” and is likely still off the coast with no certainty as to where it may end up.

NSW Marine Command confirmed the yacht had taken on water but at this stage had not sunk.

“With the sea conditions they couldn’t get the sail down and so the yacht was running away from us and we were chasing it down the coast,” he said.

The rescue effort began when the 19-metre Spirit of Mateship that sent out a distress signal on Monday afternoon were safely rescued about 7.30am on Tuesday.

Mr Brazzil said marine police and the defence force made attempts to reach the passengers, including via airlift, but the operation spiralled into a waiting game overnight.

“The HMAS Canberra and Nemesis didn’t get to them until about 1am this morning due to the conditions,” he said.

“It was unsafe, even yesterday there was a consideration with the military as to whether to do an airlift off the boat but due to the sea conditions and the weather they were unable to coordinate that, it was unsafe for all involved.

“At 1am they looked at the conditions, the darkness, the two people on board, and it was just unsafe so they came up with a game plan. Both vessels stood by and obviously provided support to these people (overnight).”

The Spirit of Mateship suffered a mechanical issue on Monday that saw it taking in water around 130 nautical miles southeast of Sydney and 250km offshore of Ulladulla.

Overnight it drifted further east and is now 300km off the coast.

Australian Navy vessel HMAS Canberra and Nemesis re-established contact with the yacht just after 4am on Tuesday and were travelling alongside the distressed yacht.

However, rescue operations were paused until first light due to the dangerous conditions.

Rescue crews were faced with 4-5m swells and wind gusts up to 100km/h.

Earlier, Ben Flight from Australian Maritime Safety Authority said the severe winds sent the yacht even further adrift overnight.

The Spirit of Mateship preparing for the QantasLink Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race. Picture: Tara Croser

HMAS Canberra re-established contact with the yacht early on Tuesday morning.

AMSA said the earlier rescue attempt had been aborted due to “fuel complications”.

“Two helicopters tasked by AMSA, one from Nowra, another from Wollongong, along with third from Sydney, tasked by NSW Ambulance, arrived on scene.

“(They) were able make contact with the two crew on board the yacht but were not able to retrieve them due to fuel considerations.”

The Spirit of Mateship has raced in multiple Sydney to Hobart yacht races since its debut in 2013.