A retired couple have been rescued from their 36ft catamaran 640 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands. They had set out from the Cape Verdes a week ago bound for Trinidad.

Falmouth Coastguard picked up a distress beacon from Alan, 64, and 68-year-old Shealaugh Ward’s yacht on Saturday morning.

The Leicester-based couple were picked up by the 38,500 ton bulk carrier, the Castillo de San Pedro which will dock at Port Comfort in Texas on 2 March.
The pair have been sailing around the world for the last four years.