Yachtsman rescued off south coast

A French sailor was rescued off the south coast yesterday after his yacht collided with a Norwegian tanker.

Mr Alain Pastor (29), a teacher, was sailing solo from Brest to Kinsale, Co Cork, when the incident happened five miles south-east of the Old Head of Kinsale. The alarm was raised by the ship, the Sunstamn, and Valentia Coast Guard alerted the Courtmac sherry lifeboat under coxswain Dan O'Dwyer shortly after 7 a.m.

The 11-metre yacht, the Saturnin, was dismasted and capsized before righting itself. However, its rigging had been snagged by the ship, and it was dragged for several minutes before the tanker was able to lose speed.

Mr Pastor was shocked and still on board when the lifeboat reached him, according to Mr Jim Crowley, honorary secretary of Courtmacsherry RNLI station. "The lifeboat crew had to pass him wire-cutters to cut the rigging, while the tanker stood by. The waves were 25 ft - a big sea running - and he had lost all radio contact after he was dismasted. He was a very lucky man."

It is understood Mr Pastor was preparing for a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, and left Brest last Saturday.

Naval Service divers are expected to resume their search off Mizen Head this week for the bodies of three fishermen still missing since the Castle townbere fishing vessel, St Gervase, hit the Mizen Head rocks with four crew on board a month ago.