UPDATED 3.43pm The remaining crew of stricken yacht Platino have made it safely onboard container ship Southern Lily and are bound for New Zealand – but the dead crew member has been left on the sinking yacht.

It took almost four hours to transfer the three crew members from the stricken yacht to the large container ship, which was around 550 kilometres north of New Zealand.

The Air Force Orion aircraft oversaw the operation and is now resuming its search for a missing crew member, a 63-year-old man who is understood to have been swept away after the yacht sustained damage to its rigging yesterday morning.

The search will be suspended when the aircraft returns to New Zealand tonight.

A rescue line was used to help get Platino’s owners Tory and Harry McKeogh and friend Ross McKee safely on board around 3pm.

The Rescue Coordination Centre NZ (RCCNZ) has confirmed Nick Saull’s body, who was earlier killed by the boat’s rigging, was left on board the abandoned yacht as the large 3 metre swells made it too difficult to transfer him over.

An EPIRB beacon was put on the yacht to aid in tracking its location.

RCCNZ search and rescue mission coordinator John Dickson said it was a difficult operation getting the three crew members onboard the container ship and praised the master and crew of the Southern Lily.

“It was not easy to get the three crew members from the yacht to the much larger ship in those sea conditions – they’ve done a tremendous job.

“We are obviously disappointed that it was not safe to transfer the body of the deceased crew member, but safety must come first. We will keep track of the position of the yacht.”

The Southern Lily is expected to take two days to get back to Auckland.

Rescue Coordination Centre of New Zealand spokesman Steve Rendell told the Herald earlier today that it was an extremely stressful situation for the three crew involved.

The decision to abandon the multimillion dollar yacht was made this morning due to its deteriorating condition which included loss of steering and taking on water overnight. The intake of water had been managed by the pumps before it was abandoned.

The boat was en route to Fiji where the owners were planning to have a five month holiday before tragedy stuck.

All the members onboard were good friends and Platino had been built by Mr Saull, who was the director of Brin Wilson Boat Builders.

Members of Red Beach Surf Club are devastated by his death.

Mr Saull was a long-time clubbie, whose children did the junior surf and senior club programmes.

Club spokesman Mark Readman said they're still struggling to comprehend what's happened to the man who was an integral part of their team, and the club family.

"Just disbelief. Complete disbelief. I supposed it's hard to accept how the world can be so cruel.

"He was just an integral part of our team and our family really and his are kids involved in the surf club. He was just a mate, a passionate sailor and waterman really."

Earlier today plans changed for the crew of the yacht Platino, be safely transferred on board the Southern Lily and if it could be done safely, the body of Mr Saull.

It was said the yacht would have to be left behind.

The Air Force Orion temporarily stopped searching for the yet-to-be-named man who fell overboard, to assist with the rendezvous of the two boats.

Defence Force Group Captain Tim Walshe said the Air Force Orion is there to help, as those on the water are still dealing with four metre swells, and 20 knot winds.

"She headed North to Fiji last night because she was being driven by a swell basically."

Mr Walshe said the Orion has enough fuel to keep searching for the man until after dark, but rough seas are making it tough.

"It is difficult to find somebody in those circumstances but the crew will do all they can, for the best outcome, for all involved."

Today's rescue coincided with the opening of a new national headquarters for the Rescue Coordination Centre in the Hutt Valley.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges said the centre will be managing hundreds of search and rescue operations every year across 30 million square kilometres.

He said the centre includes a purpose-built operations room and training centre, that are equipped to deal with medium to large-scale operation.