Boat expert Donald Knight told how he feared he would come across dead crewmates on board a shipwrecked yacht that washed onto Bermuda's shores yesterday.

The assistant manager at Dockyard Marina was first on the scene early yesterday morning after getting a call from a friend about the battered sailing vessel.

He said as he approached the 42ft yacht, which had washed up onto rocks close to Willowbank in the West End of the Island, he did not know what he would face.

But when he found out later that the owners of the boat, a couple from Canada, had actually been airlifted off the vessel to safety last November, he felt a sigh of relief.

Mr. Knight called Harbour Radio and the Marine Police at about 8 a.m.

yesterday morning.

He said: "When I arrived at the rocks soon after 7 a.m., I could see it was in a pretty bad state. I was a bit apprehensive because I did not know if I was going to find anyone dead on the boat.

"Once I realised there was no one there, I looked around for signs of violence, such as gunshot marks. I investigated a bit further, and didn't see anything unusual. I thought the boat had been abandoned, so I called it in.

"I was extremely relieved when I heard that the couple had been airlifted to safety.

"But it's pretty surprising that it has been sailing around on its own all this time.'' Harbour Radio did some investigating and realised that the boat belonged to Andre and Desiree Reinu, from Canada.

The US Coast Guard in Portsmouth, Virginia, had responded to their May Day calls on November 27 last year after the yacht, the Pasha 1 , suffered engine trouble 280 miles off the US east coast -- and about 350 miles north west of Bermuda.

Mr. Reinu requested assistance for his wife, who was extremely seasick.

And he also explained that he was beyond exhaustion and could not continue.

The couple were picked up by the Cypress-flagged cargo container Amer Himalaya , and then airlifted on a Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter and transferred to hospital, where they were treated for dehydration and severe seasickness.

But their yacht had to be abandoned in the Atlantic.

For four-and-a-half months the Pasha 1 has been left to the mercy of the ocean, finally coming to rest in Bermuda in the early hours of Sunday.

Marine Police towed the boat to Dockyard Marina, and then telephoned the couple's home in Canada, to inform them of the surprise find, but, as of last night, had been unable to speak to them.

Whether Mr. and Mrs Reinu still own the boat, or whether it belongs to an insurance company, has yet to be discovered.

However, if they have not yet claimed through their insurance for the abandoned vessel, they will still have legal rights to it.

Mr. Knight said the boat had been washed up onto rocks near to one of the small bays between Daniel's Head and Ely's Harbour in the West End.

He added: "When I got there, the boat was almost on the beach. The engine was shot, it had no masts and no sails. There had been some damage.

"I would imagine that the boat was worth between $150,000 and $175,000, but it's going to take quite a few pennies to put it back together again.

"I would think it will cost in the region of $80,000 to repair it.

"I imagine the couple had given up all hope of finding their boat. This will be a surprise. It certainly was for me.

Yacht drama this is the first time I have ever found an abandoned boat. It being at sea for so long, it's very unusual.'' Marine Police officer Mike Shaw said he was working to locate the owners and bring them up to date on their boat.

He said: "It's pretty amazing because this boat could have gone anywhere in the Atlantic. but it happened to wash up on Bermuda.

"The body of the boat is very solid -- there are no holes and it is in reasonable shape, although there was a bit of water inside.

"It looks like it would have been immaculate eight months ago. I think who ever had it, looked after it.''