Search for yacht scaled down

Police are scaling down the search for a small yacht after a man reported one in trouble off the North Otago coast yesterday.

A search and rescue mission was launched after a resident reported seeing a yacht about 3km off the coast from Waitaki, north of Oamaru, at about 5.20pm.

He said it appeared the yacht was having difficulty and it looked to be upside down when he lost sight of it.

Sergeant Wayne Brew from the Oamaru police said there had been no other sightings of a yacht and no reports of overdue boats or missing persons.

"Searches last night and this morning have failed to locate the reported yacht," Mr Brew said.

He said police received one report of a yacht heading in the direction of Oamaru's harbour but have not been able to confirm its identity or location.

Police were still seeking public assistance in regard to the yacht but were scaling down the search.

- NZPA