Yachting tragedy claims lifelong sailor

A sailor killed when a yacht sank in bad weather near the Bay of Islands was chair of a sailing trust and ACT Party candidate Stuart Pedersen.

He died when the 47-foot yacht went down about 37 kilometres off the coast of Cape Brett on Monday afternoon.

Rescuers battled strong winds and high seas before the three survivors and Pedersen’s body were winched to the rescue helicopter.

An Air Force Orion located four people in the water about 2.47pm, dropping a life raft to them.

A second sailor, Pedersen’s wife Pamela, was transported to hospital in a critical condition, while the other two were in moderate condition.

In a post on its Facebook page, Coastguard Northern Region said the four sailors had abandoned their vessel, having lost their life raft in the swells.

ACT Party leader David Seymour described Pedersen as ‘‘kind, hospitable, articulate and passionate’’.

‘‘Everyone in the party who knew Stuart loved him,’’ Seymour said in a statement.

In a statement to Sunlive, the Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club confirmed the deceased sailor was one of its ‘‘leading club members’’.

‘‘You may have seen news reports about a yacht which sank off Cape Brett, with one sailor dead, and another three in hospital in serious condition,’’ the statement said.

‘‘Fellow club member Bruce Goodwin, Stuart’s wife Pamela and Pamela’s brother-in-law Steve are the survivors.

‘‘Bruce and Steve have been released from hospital but unfortunately, Pamela is still in intensive care.’’