Trawler crew pulls solo yachtsman from sinking liferaft

By BRIDGET CARTER

Crouched in the dark on a partly deflated liferaft, a soaking Chris Sayer anxiously kept looking for the rescue boat's lights.

It had been nearly 12 hours since his yacht capsized after its keel broke, eventually forcing him to dive underneath it to get the emergency raft.

He was cold and seasick, but knew by the sound of the plane overhead that help was close. Finally, a Taiwanese fishing trawler arrived.

Sayer's 6.5m yacht, Up The Blue, overturned on Monday - five days into a trip from Sydney to Auckland - and prompted a rescue alert 480km west of Cape Reinga.

The 30-year-old solo sailor is today expected to be transferred from the fishing trawler to HMNZS Canterbury. He is expected to arrive in Auckland about 10am on Friday.

Sayer, who had been in Sydney to take part in a yacht race, told the Herald from the trawler yesterday that his ordeal began on Sunday at 11pm when the keel from his yacht was ripped off by an unidentified object.

He managed to sail the stricken vessel towards Cape Reinga for another 14 hours, but at 3pm on Monday it capsized and started filling with water, forcing him to seek refuge on the upturned hull.

After about two hours, he decided the boat was no longer safe and dived underneath to get the liferaft.

He also grabbed a few belongings, including clothes, food and water, and set off an emergency signal via satellite, alerting the National Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Wellington.

The centre picked up the signal at 2.30pm on Monday and dispatched an Air Force Orion from Whenuapai. It flew over him at 7pm, but the trawler and another ship, the Stolt Kikyu, were hours away. "When they flew overhead it was the nicest thing to hear in the world," he said.

Meanwhile, the liferaft had partly deflated, taking on water.

The Orion dropped flares and guided the trawler to Sayer about eight hours later.

The trawler's crew attached him to a line, pulled him aboard, and gave him dry clothes, hot soup and coffee.

"It is certainly a lot more comfortable than being in a liferaft," he said.

Late yesterday, Sayer was about 500km off the New Zealand coast, waiting to be transferred to the Canterbury because the trawler is expected to stay at sea for another five months.

His yacht, named after a book about his grandfather's World War II experiences and built from scratch, had not completely sunk, but could not be recovered. He had spent $90,000 and 2000 hours building it.

A friend and supporter of Sayer, Paul Bosher, said a trust had been formed to help build another racing yacht for him. People interested in making donations could phone 0800 729 373.