The yacht Windsong driven onto Waihi Beach by wind and tide yesterday, is today resting secure above the high tide line after an overnight salvage operation.

Windsong was abandoned by her owner in a rescue operation in high seas near Mayor Island early Wednesday morning. She was found on Waihi Beach near the coastguard building later in the day.

Windsong on the beach. Photos: Elaine Fisher.

The yacht's insurers brought in a digger that lifted the Windsong off the beach and deposited it above the high tide line last night, says Waihi Beach Volunteer Coastguard operations manager Jim Pooley.

'They brought in a 20 tonne digger. I think they would have picked it up, looking at it, but the tide's been in and you would never know.

'The regional council's main concern was the 220 odd litres of diesel strapped to it. We got all that off, straight away.”

The diesel is in 20 litre plastic containers and is now in storage.

'It's (Windsong) currently sitting on beach. I'm assuming they will bring in some transport. It's definitely off the beach and above the high tide line, so they have got time to do whatever.”

A SunLive reporter at the scene says the wooden 8.8m long yacht has been holed below the waterline from where it was seen resting on a rock yesterday.

Windsong's owner Paul Christenson is today in Dunedin, where he was intending to sail Windsong from Gulf Harbour.

He activated the yacht's emergency locator beacon after he found the yacht would not steer in the rough conditions, and lost power for his VHF radio and lights.

The exhausted sailor was rescued by Tauranga Volunteer Coastguard crew about 11km east of Mayor Island sometime after 4am.