An Australian man rescued with his son after getting stranded in a yacht in treacherous seas off the US coast, says critical equipment failed on the boat.
The US Coast Guard plucked Australians Reg McGlashan 65, and his son Jason 38, from the Atlantic Ocean in gale conditions about 240km south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Sunday.
Their vessel, the 13 metre Sedona, had lost power and its sails had been torn apart in a snow storm.
They had reportedly purchased the vessel on eBay, and were planning to sail the 16,000km to their home town of Port Macquarie on the NSW mid north coast.
Speaking from Cape Cod on Tuesday, Reg McGlashan said everything started off well on the first leg of the epic journey.
"We were coming down the coast and had a bit of an equipment failure on board," he told the Seven Network.
"The only alternative was to get professional help in. The guys here at Cape Cod Coast Guard have been utterly fantastic, plucked us out of the water.
"We're currently staying with them at the base."
A dramatic video on the US Coast Guard's website shows the two men being winched to safety from the stricken yacht and into a helicopter in blizzard conditions.
The Coast Guard cited "degrading weather" as the reason for the rescue.
"We had everything checked out and it was just one of those things that was beyond our control," Reg McGlashan said.
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