Photo: 123RF
Four Royal Navy personnel will be recognised for their bravery and skills by the defence force for rescuing a yachtsman during Cyclone Gabrielle.
The HMNZS Te Mana was called out east of Great Barrier Island to help a solo yachtsman caught in rough conditions in February.
The severe weather prevented the Northland Rescue Helicopter from helping with the rescue mission.
The four personnel in Te Mana approached the yacht in water reaching between 5-6m swells and 40-knot winds.
HMNZS Te Mana is the New Zealand Navy's second Anzac Class frigate. Photo: Supplied/ NZ Defence Force
Rigid hulled inflatable boat coxswain petty officer Leon Reilly said he had never encountered sea conditions like that in the vessel before.
"The sea was like a washing machine. There was no consistency in the waves, they were all over the place.
"The sea spray was probably the hardest part of it because you can't breathe as soon as the water hits your face and mouth," Reilly said.
Also trying to find the yacht was a challenge at times for Reilly.
"It felt like a game of forceback. You'd gain ground but then some waves were too big. At times I had the boat under full power but it was still going backwards," Reilly said.
Reilly, 34, from Rotorua enlisted in 2006 and was named Sailor of the Year in 2014.
He said he was grateful and proud to be awarded the Defence Meritorious Service Medal.
Reilly's partner was also five months pregnant at the time with their first child but he put thoughts of his own safety and whānau to one side.
"I didn't think about the risks, if things were to go wrong, I was responsible for the boat and its crew once we left the ship. I used that huge responsibility to drive me to get us all back on board Te Mana safely. It wasn't until afterwards that I started dwelling on what might have happened to me or my crew.
"When it's the real thing, everything we have trained for kicks in and muscle memory and a bit of adrenaline takes over," Reilly said.
Meanwhile, divers petty officer Te Pumautanga Campbell, leading diver Israel Davis and able seaman Ashlea Farrar, who was the bowman, were awarded Chief of Defence Force Commendations for their part in the rescue.
Five other NZDF personnel and one unit have also been recognised this month.