Emergency services have made contact with two sailors stranded at sea, but have been unable to rescue them due to extreme weather conditions.
The sailors spent the night on their 19-metre racing yacht, Spirit of Mateship, which began taking on water after a mechanical problem on Monday afternoon.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority received a distress alert from the yacht at 12.40pm, and New South Wales Police confirmed a distress beacon was received about 150km off the coast of Nowra.
The rescue operation was complicated by waves five metres high and winds of between 70 and 90 km/h.
A rescue helicopter attempted to reach the yacht on Monday night but was unable to safely transport the passengers.
A New South Wales Police boat contacted the sailors on Tuesday morning but bad weather prevented their rescue.
Two Royal Australian Navy vessels and an RAAF C-130J Hercules aircraft also took part in the rescue operation.
The Spirit of Mateship yacht has participated in several Sydney to Hobart races since 2013.
The Spirit of Mateship yacht has participated in several Sydney to Hobart races since 2013.
Both HMAS Arunta and HMAS Canberra en route to rescue the sailors (pictured, HMAS Arunta during a training exercise)
