Four rescued, yacht abandoned southwest of Fiji

8:01 PM Thu 4 Nov 2010 GMT

'The floor of their life raft had already collapsed when they were rescued' .

3News in New Zealand has reported that four sailors from New Zealand have been rescued from the Pacific Ocean by a container ship, after their yacht's rudder was damaged by a massive wave, and their yacht has been abandoned. The crew of the Midori sent out a mayday call about 500 nautical miles southwest of Fiji, when the wave smashed their rudder. The sailors were drifting on the ocean for nearly two days, before they were finally picked up. There is no indication at this early stage as to why they were unable to steer using their sails. The four ...

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by Adam Ray/Sail-World Cruising