A Canadian sailor has been rescued off the coast of southwest Australia after his boat broke apart in rough seas.
An Australian maritime official says Paul Lim ran into trouble when the engine on his yacht broke away as he battled 10-metre waves and winds of 50 kilometres per hour in the Southern Ocean.
The sixty-two-year-old man activated the emergency beacon on his 9.5-metre craft on Monday and waited for help in the stormy seas, about 140 nautical miles southwest of Cape Leeuwin on Australia's southwestern tip.
Lim told Australian broadcaster ABC News on Tuesday that he couldn't believe how quickly he was rescued.
"When I switched it on I thought well, in a couple of days I might get a response if I'm lucky,"
A search-and-rescue helicopter dropped a radio and an extra life raft to Lim and rescue officials sent out a broadcast to ships in the area for help.
On Tuesday, the Panamanian bulk carrier Kohju arrived on the scene. It took crew members six hours in rough seas to pull Lim to safety.
Lim said he wanted to get back to Canada quickly so he took a risk.
"So, I thought I'd take the chance of a winter trip to try and go from South Africa back to Canada non-stop in the Southern Ocean, and of course, it's taking a big chance because the Southern Ocean in the winter is pretty terrible, as I found out," he said.
He was not hurt and is continuing on to the Canary Islands, off the northwest African coast, with the Kohju's crew. His yacht was sinking and has been abandoned.
