Dunlin,a Falmouth Quay Punt, has been abandoned in the North Atlantic 345 miles south west of the Isles of Scilly.

Her 70-year-old skipper, sailing solo from Antigua to the UK, was taken off by a merchant ship the Sydney Express after he activated his EPIRB.

An aircraft made a circuit of the beacon location and spotted a red flare – the ship was then directed to the location. The yacht had a broken rudder and the skipper was in shock and suffering slight injuries.