Three boaties winched to safety after vessel capsizes off northern NSW

Three boaties are recovering in hospital after a dramatic rescue off the New South Wales – Queensland border.

The trio’s catamaran flipped into the ocean near Fingal Head around 5.30pm on Thursday, leaving them stranded in open water.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and found the men clinging to the overturned hull of their boat.

They were then winched to safety by the rescue helicopter before being dropped at Kirra where they were assessed by paramedics.

One man in his 70s was rushed to the Gold Coast University Hospital in a potentially life-threatening condition with a head injury.

A man in his 60s was taken stable with neck pain and hypothermia, while a man in his 30s was transported stable with hypothermia.