A man had to be rescued from a life raft when his yacht sank off Kaitaia on Saturday morning.
The 48-year-old man activated a rescue beacon and was in contact with his wife through a messaging service.
His 15m yacht began taking on water 100 nautical miles west of Kaitaia early in the day.
Rescue Coordination Centre spokesperson John Ashby said the man was picked up from his raft by rescue helicopter about 9am.
He said the man had done all the right things and had all the right equipment when disaster struck.
