Four planes, ship rescue yachtsman off Qld

A solo yachtsman sailing from Queensland to New Zealand has been plucked from rough seas in a dramatic rescue involving four planes and a Danish container ship.

The sailor made a distress call on Thursday morning after his 10-metre yacht was damaged in heavy seas.

Four planes and a Danish container ship helped in the man's rescue, which was co-ordinated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Rescue Co-ordination Centre.

A Customs and Border Protection aircraft was the first on the scene, sighting the boat about 1pm (AEST) on Thursday.

As the mission dragged on, airforce personal flying above the yacht used night-vision goggles to help those on board the container ship locate and rescue the man.

The yachtsman, who was wearing an immersion suit, was plucked from rough seas on Thursday night about 70 nautical miles north of Lord Howe Island.

He wasn't hurt and will be brought to shore by a pilot vessel in the coming days.