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| British family of four rescued from remote reef in Pacific Ocean | British family of four rescued from remote reef in Pacific Ocean |
| (5 months later) | |
| Family including two children aged 13 and 11 saved after their catamaran hit Beveridge Reef hundreds of miles north-east of New Zealand in heavy seas | |
| Matthew Weaver and agencies | |
| Mon 28 Aug 2017 16.46 BST | |
| Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 17.53 GMT | |
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| A British family of four have been rescued after the catamaran they were sailing in ran aground in heavy seas on a remote reef in the south Pacific Ocean. | A British family of four have been rescued after the catamaran they were sailing in ran aground in heavy seas on a remote reef in the south Pacific Ocean. |
| The family, who have not been named and included two children aged 13 and 11, were rescued by the only other boat in the area. | The family, who have not been named and included two children aged 13 and 11, were rescued by the only other boat in the area. |
| Martin Vogel, the captain of a seven-person steel ketch sailing yacht called the Dona Catharina that came to their aid, said all four members of the family were recovering after their ordeal. | Martin Vogel, the captain of a seven-person steel ketch sailing yacht called the Dona Catharina that came to their aid, said all four members of the family were recovering after their ordeal. |
| He said their catamaran, the Avanti, was a wreck after it hit Beveridge Reef, an uninhabited semi-submerged atoll hundreds of miles north-east of New Zealand. | He said their catamaran, the Avanti, was a wreck after it hit Beveridge Reef, an uninhabited semi-submerged atoll hundreds of miles north-east of New Zealand. |
| “They were pretty distressed but they’re all sleeping now,” Vogel told the Associated Press by satellite phone. “Honestly, they’re coping remarkably well.” | “They were pretty distressed but they’re all sleeping now,” Vogel told the Associated Press by satellite phone. “Honestly, they’re coping remarkably well.” |
| Vogel said he was able to communicate by radio with the family overnight and rescue them using a life raft when daylight broke. Geoff Lunt, a senior search and rescue officer from New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre, said the Dona Catharina was sheltering, anchored inside the reef’s lagoon, as it sailed from New Zealand to the remote island of Niue, about 240km (150 miles) to the north-west, to help with a study of humpback whales. | Vogel said he was able to communicate by radio with the family overnight and rescue them using a life raft when daylight broke. Geoff Lunt, a senior search and rescue officer from New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre, said the Dona Catharina was sheltering, anchored inside the reef’s lagoon, as it sailed from New Zealand to the remote island of Niue, about 240km (150 miles) to the north-west, to help with a study of humpback whales. |
| Lunt said the family sent out a distress beacon just after 2.30am on Sunday. New Zealand officials then transmitted an alert to ships and, within minutes, received a call from the Dona Catharina. “It was very fortunate they were anchored in the lagoon and listening to the distress channel at 2.30am,” Lunt said. | Lunt said the family sent out a distress beacon just after 2.30am on Sunday. New Zealand officials then transmitted an alert to ships and, within minutes, received a call from the Dona Catharina. “It was very fortunate they were anchored in the lagoon and listening to the distress channel at 2.30am,” Lunt said. |
| Vogel said he was not sure if the family were hoping to shelter at the reef or were simply unaware of its existence. | Vogel said he was not sure if the family were hoping to shelter at the reef or were simply unaware of its existence. |
| He said the lagoon inside the reef could provide calm water but the Avanti had run aground on the opposite side from the lagoon’s narrow entrance. | He said the lagoon inside the reef could provide calm water but the Avanti had run aground on the opposite side from the lagoon’s narrow entrance. |
| The family were able to gather some clothes, passports and a few treasured items when they were rescued, Lunt said, adding that the weather was still stormy and that he planned to wait it out before attempting to complete the journey to Niue. | The family were able to gather some clothes, passports and a few treasured items when they were rescued, Lunt said, adding that the weather was still stormy and that he planned to wait it out before attempting to complete the journey to Niue. |
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