At 3 a.m. on Monday, two men in their 70s from New Zealand contacted the Australian Maritime Safety Authority that they were in trouble owing to poor weather conditions.
Two hours later, after severe seas had ruined their vessel’s steering and it had begun to take on significant water, the crew activated an emergency signal.
After strong weather wrecked their sailboat, two elderly men have been adrift in the Tasman Sea for more than a day.
Thermal imagery captured by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) reveals that the 14,2m sailing schooner is adrift in the Tasman with her elderly occupants waiting for rescue for more than 36 hours.
The vessel is currently located approximately 350 kilometers east of Lord Howe Island, between mainland Australia and the North Island of New Zealand.
The NSW Police have dispatched its rescue boat ‘Nemesis’ as well as two additional commercial vehicles in an effort to locate the missing individuals.
AMSA acknowledged in a statement that they were still searching for the vessel.
The vessel is currently located approximately 350 kilometers east of Lord Howe Island, between mainland Australia and the North Island of New Zealand.
The statement added, “The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has been organising the rescue of two New Zealand crew members from a 14.2-meter sailing sailboat that is now 164 nautical miles (305 kilometers) east of Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea.”
AMSA has responded with a challenger rescue aircraft headquartered in Melbourne, as well as other Royal Australian Air Force aircraft that have been flying overhead since yesterday.
Lord Howe Island’s Marine Rescue is also on standby.
The Bureau of Meteorology had issued weather alerts for the region, warning of a deep low-pressure system on Sunday.
The system was located 250 kilometers north-west of Lord Howe Island, and meteorologists predicted that it would bring strong southerly winds.