Coastguard says the skipper of an historic yacht that crashed into rocks off the Northland coast overnight did everything right to be safely rescued without injury.

The yacht, understood to be the 26 foot mullet boat Celox, struck rocks and sunk off Motukawiti Island, about 4 kilometres offshore from Matauri Bay, shortly before 11 last night.

The skipper, the sole occupant of the heritage vessel, built in 1908, managed to call emergency services before putting on a life jacket and getting safely to a rock before the boat sank.

Coastguard crew went out to search for the man, following the emergency call.

They found the yacht, which had already sunk into the sea, with only its sails visible above the water, around 1 this morning.

It was another half an hour before the skipper was located on a nearby rock.