Me, too, but two airliners from different airlines rerouted in this case - an Air New Zealand Airbus 320 in addition to the Air Canada Boeing 777.

Here are a few of the (many) news stories on the incident, and a few quotes from them:

"An AMSA spokeswoman said it was unusual for commercial aircraft to be called in to assist in a search and rescue effort.

"It's not common, but that's not because we try to avoid doing it," she told the Australian Associated Press. "It's because the nature of the incidents that we have aren't necessarily so remote that we can only rely on the commercial airlines."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/air-canada-flight-helps-locate-sailor-off-australian-coast-1.1146862

"Later, an Air New Zealand Airbus 320 en route to Sydney from Auckland was also diverted before an Australian rescue plane arrived and dropped a life raft and satellite phone down to the stranded seaman."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-19970274

{From the Associated Press:}
“The crew borrowed binoculars from customers and also engaged those sitting on the right hand side of the aircraft to help look. As our aircraft flew over the area at 4,000 feet, a reflection from a mirror shining upwards was spotted and the crew saw the yacht in question, de-masted with a person standing _ which was confirmed by a number of passengers."

https://www.cnbc.com/2012/10/17/air-canada-helps-find-troubled-yacht-off-australia.html

https://www.cnn.com/2012/10/18/travel/australia-yacht-rescue/index.html

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/air-canada-...tralia-1.997459

https://www.cnbc.com/2012/10/17/air-canada-helps-find-troubled-yacht-off-australia.html