Two men were rescued from a life raft on Sunday night after their yacht began taking on water about 60 nautical miles off the coast of Lakes Entrance in Victoria. The men, aged 59 and 70, were sailing from Melbourne to Sydney when they encountered trouble.
They radioed for help, and a nearby merchant ship responded, alerting State and National Rescue Co-ordination Centres. Victoria Police Rescue deployed a helicopter and a police water vessel, reaching the men around 8:45pm.
Ambulance Victoria flight paramedics winched the men to safety from their life raft, battling 90km/h winds and 5-metre seas. The sailors were treated for non-life-threatening injuries and hypothermia before being taken to hospital.
Acting Senior Sergeant Dave McHenry from the Water Police Squad described the rescue as challenging. 'The horrific sea conditions and high winds brought major challenges for the teams carrying out this rescue,' he said. 'With 5 metre swells and the weather getting worse, we knew a rescue from another vessel was not an option.'
McHenry praised the rescue teams, stating, 'I'm proud of everyone involved making it possible for us to safely rescue the two occupants on the boat.' Water Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
