NSW man charged after 16-hour yacht siege

A 16 hour stand-off between police and a knife-wielding man on a yacht at Lake Macquarie has ended with his arrest after he attempted to swim to shore.

The man allegedly tried to fire flares at police in the final moments of the siege which began on Tuesday morning.

He was charged with several offences including destroying property following his capture at about 3am on Wednesday.

The man was refused bail to appear at Newcastle Local Court later in the day.

The stand-off began at 10.30am on Tuesday when officers tried to speak to the man on the boat moored 200 metres off shore in Carey Bay.

He allegedly refused to comply with the requests of police negotiators, and instead armed himself with a knife before starting a small fire on the back of the boat.