Tania Davies and Steven Jones greet family members at Devonport yesterday. Photo / Steven McNicholl
Tania Davies and Steven Jones greet family members at Devonport yesterday. Photo / Steven McNicholl
An Auckland woman and her British-born partner say being rescued from their stricken yacht in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was a humbling experience but it taught them to enjoy every moment of the future.
Tania Davies and Steven Jones were winched off their disabled 11.6m yacht by thecrew of the cargo ship Chengtu on Friday morning in a gale and 10m seas.
Later that day they were transferred from the Chengtu to HMNZS Otago, which had been diverted from exercises in the Hauraki Gulf.
On arrival at the Devonport Naval Base yesterday afternoon, the couple showed nasty head wounds suffered when they were knocked unconscious on a voyage from Tonga, bound for New Zealand.
"There were some dark moments," said Mr Jones, 52, of North Wales, who has been sailing for 30 years - three of them on board the Beneteau-designed Windigo.
He said a container of diesel had smashed the hatch cover, which meant water continually flooded the boat.
"We were preparing to launch the liferaft."
Search and Rescue sent a Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion to watch over the Windigo while the Chengtu diverted from its course towards Los Angeles for 15 hours to reach the yacht 700km southwest of Tonga and 1260km from New Zealand.
