Spirit of Mateship: Update in rescue of stranded sailors near Nowra
Emergency services contacted two sailors stranded at sea but were unable to rescue them due to the extreme weather conditions.
The sailors spent the night on their 19-metre racing yacht, the Spirit of Mateship, which began taking on water on Monday afternoon after a mechanical problem.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority received a distress call from the yacht at 12.40pm, while New South Wales Police confirmed a distress signal was received approximately 150km off the coast of Nowra.
The rescue operation was hampered by five-metre high waves and wind speeds of 70-90 km/h.
A rescue helicopter attempted to reach the yacht on Monday evening but was unable to safely take out the passengers.
On Tuesday morning a NSW police boat contacted the occupants but their rescue was prevented by bad weather.
The rescue operation also involved two Royal Australian Navy ships and an RAAF C-130J Hercules aircraft.
Since 2013, the Spirit of Mateship yacht has competed in a number of Sydney to Hobart races.
The Spirit of Mateship yacht has competed in a number of Sydney to Hobart races since 2013
Both HMAS Arunta and HMAS Canberra are en route to rescue the sailors (pictured HMAS Arunta during a training exercise)