9.30pm: Police have confirmed a 67 year-old man, fishing on his own off the coast of Port Fairy, has been plucked from his capsized boat by Ambulance Victoria’s emergency response helicopter on Tuesday night.
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Water Police and Warrnambool Coast Guard were alerted to the incident when the man activated his emergency beacon about 7pm.
The experienced mariner was returning to Port Fairy following a day of fishing when his 26-foot PowerCat boat experienced engine failure and started taking water on board.
The boat flipped soon after, leaving the Warrnambool man clinging to the upturned vessel for over an hour and a half with a survival bag and his emergency beacon.
Ambulance Victoria’s rescue helicopter took the man to Warrnambool Airport where he was diagnosed with minor hypothermia.
Sergeant Patrick Day of Koroit police said the experienced mariner was well prepared for the worst and when the incident occurred he did all he could to get emergency services to locate him.
Sergeant Day said the boat was unrecoverable.
EARLIER: A fisherman has been rescued off the coast of Warrnambool on Tuesday night.
Water Police and Warrnambool Coast Guard were called to assist the stricken vessel at 8.30pm.
The boat was believed to be 30 nautical miles off the coast.
Police are also assisting in the incident.
An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said the man was believed to be suffering from hypothermia but the seriousness of his condition was not yet known.