3 Jul 2013

Schooner search on hold

12:47 pm on 3 July 2013

A search for the crew of a missing American schooner is on hold as heavy rain batters the surrounding area of Norfolk Island.

The Nina, with seven people on board, was sailing from the Bay of Islands to Australia and was last heard from on 4 June.

Ocean and shoreline searches have now covered an area totalling more than four times the size of New Zealand.

The Rescue Coordination Centre said the weather has given an opportunity to evaluate the search data and consider what to do next.