Yacht crew saved by Westpac rescue helicopter

Dear friends,

On 11th April, I will run the Christchurch marathon to raise money for Westpac Rescue Helicopters, in memory of Stuart Pedersen who sadly passed away from hypothermia after a heroic offshore rescue by the Westpac helicopter crew.

Our dear friends, Pamela and Stuart Pedersen were sailing back to New Zealand in October 2019, when tragedy struck as they were only 25 miles or so off Cape Brett. After a catastrophic event in raging weather and tumultuous seas, they were left on a boat that was rapidly sinking and their life raft and safety equipment had all been swept away. The only choice left was to step into giant foaming waves with their two crew, Bruce and Stephen, any chance of survival was looking very slim.

Fortunately Bruce's personal locator beacon alerted authorities and a Westpac helicopter was deployed to attempt a search and rescue. The conditions were horrendous, right at the extreme end of their operating limits, but their focus was for the four sailors at the mercy of the ocean. All four of them were found after many hours in the cold water and plucked from the sea by these wonderful people who devote their lives to saving others.

Without them, Pamela, Bruce and Stephen would not be with us now. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for this rescue and for their selfless willingness to go out time after time in dangerous conditions to continue to save lives.

Please give generously for this very worthy cause. I have trained twice now for this same event. After cancellation last year due to covid, I was determined to make it happen this year and have trained all over again. So, double the reason to donate generously to this truly worthy cause.

Please find the link below, donate now, you too may need them one day!