A 35foot motor sailor has been lost at Plate Island in the Bay of Plenty, the Maketu Volunteer Coastguard reports.

Coastguard president Shane Beech says Coastguard was called to rescue a couple on the boat around 8pm on Saturday evening.

A boat has been lost near Plate Island.

The boat was on a delivery voyage from Picton to Thames when it struck trouble in bad weather.

'They got completely hammered,” says Shane.

'They did well. Anchored, sheltered behind Plate Island and then the wind changed. They couldn't up anchor, couldn't do anything. That's when we got the call out for assistance.”

The man and woman onboard were taken off by the Maketu Volunteer Coastguard's new boat, Maketu Coastguard EastPack Rescue.

When they taxied the couple back out yesterday the boat was gone, says Shane.

'We took them out about 7am today, and it wasn't there. All gone, not a trace of it. We presume it sunk on anchor.

'We left it on anchor, we got the people off, but it was very close to the rocks. We think it might have hit a rock and holed and sank to the bottom.”

The couple purchased the boat, believed to be the Lady Jessie, a couple of weeks ago and were sailing it to Thames, says Shane.

Plate or Motunau Island is about 10km off the coast from Maketu and a similar distance east of Motiti.