Four sailors aboard the Australian-flagged yacht Tai Tam were forced to abandon their vessel after it struck a whale approximately 250 nautical miles north of Norfolk Island on Saturday. The collision caused the yacht to take on water and begin sinking, prompting the crew to deploy a life raft and activate an emergency distress beacon. This incident highlights the unpredictable dangers maritime vessels face even in open ocean conditions.

The crew consisted of two Australians, a New Zealander, and a French national who spent several hours waiting for rescue whilst the 15.5-metre vessel battled seas of up to two metres. The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand received the distress call at approximately 1pm on Saturday and coordinated a well-executed rescue operation involving a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The four sailors were successfully rescued at 6am on Sunday by the 143-metre cargo ship MV Sofrana Surville, which transported them to the nearest port. Rescue officials credited the crew's swift activation of their emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) as crucial to their survival.