A man had to be winched aboard the Northland Electricity Rescue Helicopter after his catamaran overturned in the second dramatic sea rescue in the region in three days.
An Auckland yachtie, believed to have been taking part in the Bay of Islands Sailing Week Regatta, was returning home when his catamaran Tigre, pictured, overturned about four nautical miles north-west of Cape Brett shortly before 7am on Saturday.
He was wearing a personal locator beacon, which alerted the National Rescue Coordination Centre, and the helicopter was sent out.
On Thursday, a helicopter pilot was plucked from the ocean off Waipu after his machine crashed.
The yachtie on Saturday did everything right, said rescue helicopter pilot Pete Turnbull.
"He was very, very lucky, but he did everything right and had all the right equipment," Mr Turnbull said.
The man was heading south under a jib sail when it was blown out and the boat capsized almost immediately.
"There was a strong south-easterly wind and he was moving fairly quickly, even though he was capsized," Mr Turnbull said.
"The personal locator beacon he was wearing helped pinpoint him because visibility wasn't too great out there."
The man was winched aboard the rescue chopper about 8.45am and flown to Paihia.
Yesterday he was organising the recovery of his boat, which also lost its mast.
Mr Turnbull said a locator beacon meant people could be found quicker in an emergency, but the man was also wearing a lifejacket and had other emergency equipment.
The rescue service was pleased it had two successful water rescue jobs in such a short time.
On Thursday, Maungakaramea man Scott Finlayson, 43, suffered only minor back injuries after he made an emergency landing in his helicopter about 600m off the Waipu Golf Course
Mr Finlayson was plucked from the water after 90 minutes and taken to Whangarei Hospital, where he was treated and discharged that night
from - http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/local/news/dramatic-sea-rescue-after-boat-overturns/3937981/
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