that they should never have tried to sail to Bermuda.

Mr. Ron Reggev believes the Malachite was ill-equipped to deal with the 750-mile crossing from Beaufort in North Carolina last week.

The 41-foot ketch hit three days of stormy conditions and finally sank just after the three crew were plucked from the sea by a courageous US Coast Guard helicopter team.

Since then Mr. Reggev has been involved in a war of words with the other crew members Mr. Nicholas Hull and Mr. Mark Termini.

He has refuted claims by them that he was an inexperienced sailor.

An indignant Mr. Reggev claimed yesterday: "My `inexperience' includes intensive single-handed sailing on my Cape Dory 33 between New Jersey and Maryland.

"I crewed on a delivery of a Tayana 55 from Annapolis, Maryland, to Boston. I also delivered a Bennetteau 35 from Miami to the Solomon Islands in April, 1993.

"Hull's vaunted experience consisted of living on his boat in Toronto for nine years and motoring, not sailing, from there to Baltimore in August.'' But he added: "In retrospect we should never have been together on the same boat. I am a `square' 62-year-old retired executive. They were two hippy characters.

"The boat was clearly ill-prepared to undertake an Atlantic cruise in mid-winter. Vital equipment was lacking.'' Mr. Reggev said that there was no life raft, no emergency beacon, no long distance radio or storm sails and lifelines to be attached to harnesses when working on deck.

He said: "I brought aboard my own single side hand radio and emergency beacon and this proved to be the ultimate lifesaver for all of us.'' Responding to complaints by local sailors that Mr. Reggev should have followed the captain, Mr. Hull's orders, he said: "There is no argument that the captain is the ultimate decision maker and the master of the boat. I knew Hull as a casual acquaintance in the last few months.

"Little did I foresee the dark side of his personality. This is the most mean-spirited man I have ever met. He is the closest to a Jekyll and Hyde personality that I have ever encountered.

"He threatened to throw me overboard many times and once grabbed my throat in an effort to choke me.'' Mr. Reggev claims Mr. Hull refused to let him use his own radio to receive weather reports or to speak to well-known radio ham Mr. Herb Hilgenberg in Bermuda.

He went on to commend the crew of the US Coast Guard helicopter. "Without them we would not have been here today,'' he said.