They were ready land in Australiaat end 14-hour international flight, when 270 passengers flight suddenly thrown search-and-rescue .
Flight AC033 diverted after pilot Andrew Robertson call from Australian Authority on to help for yachtsman who sailed from Sydney two weeks earlier.
"If we have fuel, could we investigate emergency beacon that just off," question maritime officialsRobertson told Canadian affiliate CBC News.
belowGlenn Ey of Queensland, Australia, tossed in his crippled 36-foot yacht -- out fuel and with broken mast after storm.
"I thought I very good of back to Sydney without assistance," said after nine days adrift. "I couldn't see any evidence Sydney, and I idea of my exact position, and it at that point I set radio ."
search began as Boeing 777, way from Vancouver, dropped from 37,000 feet to 4,000 feet. Robertson asked passengers and to eyes on choppy waters below.
"I think everyone's heart beating bit faster," said Jill Barber, Canadian singer, who trip to Sydney for concert. "They said ... we'd really appreciate it if everyone could look out their windows, and if anyone any binoculars that could help us identify this yacht, that would be really helpful."
It didn't take too long to find Ey as passengers and crew scanned waters below.
"We're doing big sweeping right turn and almost immediately they said, 'Oh, we something,' " Robertson . "We were totally ecstatic."
Total time from activation emergency beacon until he found flight: about 25 minutes.
"You know, we and applauded and I think we all felt sense pride," said.
merchant vessel helped yacht until the water arrived from Sydney late Wednesday, about 270 nautical miles off coast.
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