Photo: 123rf
Three people have been rescued from a small island in the Croisilles Harbour in the Marlborough Sounds after their forty-foot yacht sunk.
Nelson Harbourmaster Stuart Whitehouse said the three people onboard put out a mayday call shortly after 10am on Monday.
They then abandoned the boat as it was sinking and used a dinghy to get to a nearby island where they were spotted by a rescue helicopter.
Whitehouse said the yacht sunk fairly quickly, before any of the emergency services arrived on the scene.
The three men were unhurt and taken back to Motueka by the Tasman Harbourmaster.
Whitehouse said it was important people had at least two waterproof communication devices when out boating - a VHF radio, an EPIRB (emergency position-indicating radio beacon) or PLB (personal locator beacon). In some parts of the Marlborough Sounds there is no cellphone coverage.
The men were able to use the VHF radio in the boat to put out a distress call before they had to abandon ship.
"Thankfully they had some basic comms and could shout for help."
Whitehouse said it was not yet known what caused the boat to sink and that preparations were being made to salvage the yacht.