The skipper of a beached yacht near Opito Point did everything right according to coastguard volunteers who had to tow the yacht to safety.

Whitianga volunteer coastguard was first called on Saturday night, when it was reported the yacht hit rocks south of Opito Point.

They found the yacht beached on sand with both crew on board accounted for.

Search and Rescue kept an eye on the yacht while they waited for the incoming tide, which successfully re-floated the yacht.

Whitianga Coastguard operations manager Graham Caddy says the yacht damaged its rudder while on the beach and the coastguard was called back Sunday morning.

'As you can imagine with a big keeled yacht, once water goes out from under them they lean over on their sides. And when he dragged himself off the beach – he was quite a knowledgeable fellow, he put a good line out and wrapped it round his anchor winch and once he felt a bit of water under him he winched himself off.

'But in the process at that angle the boat's laying on you expose your rudder and everything else so he just damaged it bent it during the process of getting off the beach.”

On Sunday, the weather had turned and they experienced a south easterly swell heading back to Whitianga. The conditions meant a tow that normally takes an hour and a half took twice as long.

'This was quite a big yacht and really the danger is with a big swell if the yacht starts surfing behind you, it will overtake you on the tow line. And if that happens we were in deep brown stuff.

'A lot of people think you throw a rope and just tow, but there's so much that can go wrong and so quickly an you can just imagine if you have got a 31ft yacht there's a fair tonnage in that with the keel. If that starts moving up behind you and going quicker than you are, then you have got a problem.

'Just one of the little things that most coastguard boys understand only too well how it can turn to crap very quickly.”

They put out the long tow line and travelled slowly, keeping as much of the tow line in the water as possible, says Graham.

'It was all text book and it all went very well. No dramas really.”

There were five volunteers on the Saturday night call-out and a crew of three for the tow on Sunday.