Four sailors rescued after yacht strikes whale in South Pacific

Four crew members of the Australian-flagged yacht ‘Tai Tam’ were rescued in the South Pacific after the vessel collided with a whale and began taking on water. The incident occurred approximately 250 to 400 nautical miles north of New Zealand/Norfolk Island while the yacht was traveling from Fiji to Australia.

After the collision, the crew activated an emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) and abandoned the sinking vessel. A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft located the survivors and established radio contact. The crew remained in a life raft and dinghy for approximately 17 hours before being picked up by the cargo ship Sofrana Surville around 6:00 a.m. on Sunday.

All four sailors were reported unharmed. While the yacht sank shortly after the crew was located, authorities noted that the collision appeared to be an unintentional accident. Maritime New Zealand credited the crew’s preparedness and early activation of emergency equipment for the successful rescue.