Four sailors were rescued after their 52-foot yacht sank following a collision with a sperm whale in the South Pacific, leaving the crew stranded in an inflatable life raft for nearly 17 hours. The incident occurred about 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island after the Australian-registered yacht Tai Tam was reported to be taking on water after striking a whale. The four-person crew included two Australian nationals, one New Zealander and one French national.

According to the New Zealand Defence Force, the collision happened without warning during a clear and calm afternoon. Australian sailor Jemma Cooper was at the helm when the yacht was suddenly jolted by a powerful impact. Cooper later described seeing a pod of sperm whales around the vessel, with some appearing to be roughly as long as the yacht. Her husband, Jeremy Cooper, and crewmate Terry Hetherington were below deck when they were awakened by the impact.

The collision severely damaged the yacht and caused seawater to enter the vessel. The crew issued a Mayday distress call and activated their emergency locator beacons after discovering that the boat was taking on water. They attempted to slow the flooding using buckets and pumps, but the damage left them unable to keep the yacht afloat. The sailors eventually deployed their inflatable life raft and abandoned the sinking vessel.

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The distress signal prompted rescue coordinators in New Zealand to begin a search operation. A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon aircraft was dispatched to locate the stranded sailors and identify their position at sea. After the life raft was located, the four crew members were safely taken aboard the cargo ship MV Sofrana Surville. None of the sailors sustained injuries during the incident or rescue.

Rescue officials credited the crew's preparation and their early activation of the emergency beacon with helping authorities locate them. Mike Clulow, operations manager at the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand, described the operation as a coordinated effort involving the New Zealand Defence Force, JRCC Australia, MRCC Noumea, the cargo ship and another private sailing vessel. The incident also underscored the risks of sailing in open waters and the importance of carrying functioning emergency equipment and knowing how to activate distress systems when a vessel is in danger.

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