Boaties in strife have kept Coastguard crews busy in the northern region this weekend, with many people rescued from stricken vessels. At 3.20pm, the Kawau Volunteer Coastguard crew were deployed to a vessel having mechanical difficulty at the southern end of Kawau Island. They were redirected to help in the search for the swimmer while another Coastguard vessel was tasked to assist the boatie with mechanical issues. "A joint search and rescue operation was quickly underway involving police, Coastguard Air Patrol and the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter. Coastguard were also aware of a water rescue involving a sinking yacht on Friday afternoon on Great Barrier Island.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 05, 2017 01:28 UTC