Yacht saved in rough sea

The Coastguard ship Celia Knowles came to the rescue of a stricken yacht.

High winds and rough seas did not stop the Hawke's Bay Coastguard staging a daring rescue near Waimarama.

The coastguard was alerted by the Rescue Co-ordination Centre that a 35ft catamaran was in difficulties just off the coast, last Thursday.

The catamaran was sailing from Bluff to Whangarei with three people on board when it suffered structural damage, spokesman Henry van Tuel said.

Due to the damage, the catamaran was unable to sail and its engine was not powerful enough for them to make any headway to Napier.

The coastguard launched its search and rescue vessel Celia Knowles, with six crew onboard.

The team left Napier just after 4pm in rough conditions.

Winds gusting up to 50km/h and a swell of 1-2 metres made the rescue difficult, Mr van Tuel said. The catamaran was located just north of Bare Island about 5pm and a towline was connected.

With the tow attached, the return to Napier took significantly longer and the vessels arrived about midnight.

As the wind dropped during the night, the catamaran was able to enter the Inner Harbour under its own power and make its way to a berth.