British Sailor Rescued In Atlantic

LONDON, Sept 13 (AFP) - A 62-year-old Briton who had tried to sail solo across the Atlantic Ocean before he was hit by hurricanes was rescued early Monday from his stricken 19th century yacht, the coast guard said.
Sailor Philip Kerin had to jump into the sea and grab hold of a rope thrown to him by crew aboard a merchant ship during the rescue around 345 miles (555 kilometers) from the British coast, coast guard officials said.
Kerin had sent a distress signal after his rudder broke and he lost steering during his attempt to navigate from Antigua in the Antilles to Falmouth, England, the coast guard in Falmouth said.
Britain's domestic Press Association quoted Kerin as saying from the rescue ship that during his passage from Antigua he was hit by Hurricane Alex, then, after stopping in the Azores was caught by the "tail end" of Hurricane Frances.
That damaged his rudder and steering, leaving him drifting for up to 40 hours before he decided to seek help, he was quoted as saying.
"I have gained my life and good friends," though he was extremely sad to have lost his yacht, Kerin was quoted as saying.
The coast guard coordinated the long-range rescue operation with the merchant vessel, "Sydney Express", the coast guard said.
Kerin, who had told the coast guard he had made his "Dunlin" yacht his home for the last 20 years, was asleep aboard the merchant ship following his rescue at 3:00 am (0200 GMT), a coast guard spokesman said earlier.
"He is very, very relieved to be alive," the spokesman said.
"When the Sydney Express arrived, he had to jump into the sea and grab hold of a rope the crew had thrown over the side before being physically hauled aboard," a coast guard official said.
The "Dunlin" is well known in classic yacht circles and is a regular in events in Antigua.
The solo sailor, who the spokesman said was last in Britain in 1993, is due back in London Tuesday morning on board the "Sydney Express".
The drama began when coastguards received a satellite signal from an emergency beacon 345 miles southwest of the Isles of Scilly.
A Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft from a Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Kinloss, Scotland, was scrambled and spotted a yacht from which a red flare was then fired.
The "Sydney Express", which had responded to an emergency call sent out by the coastguards, was directed to the craft's position.
"When the merchant vessel pulled alongside they found a 114-year-old yacht called Dunlin with a broken rudder," said Falmouth coastguards.
On board was a 62-year-old man sailing from Antigua to Britain, suffering from slight injuries and shock.
The rescued sailor's 42-foot (13-meter) yacht was abandoned, said the coastguards.