An American couple who had just enjoyed three weeks in Bermuda were pulled from their life raft in the Atlantic after their yacht was critically damaged yesterday.

John and Charlette Heyer, both 54, had sailed out of St. George's on their 44-foot sloop on Tuesday morning heading to Puerto Rico but hit a submerged object 100 miles south of Bermuda in the early hours of yesterday.

A Harbour Radio spokesman said: "We got a distress call at 5.34 a.m. They said 'We are sinking fast'. We tried to confirm their position but got no response, we tried to talk by satellite phone but got no response."

By 6.46 a.m., the sailors called by satellite phone to say they were now in a dinghy after abandoning their doomed yacht.

An appeal was put out for nearby ships to reach the stricken pair while the US Coast Guard sent out a C-130 search plane which overflew the couple.

A Harbour Radio spokesman said: "They were in ten knot winds and four to five foot seas ? the best conditions to be rescued in. You couldn't hope for much better."

By 8.22 a.m., the cargo ship reported it was 28 miles away but steaming steadily towards a rendezvous. It picked up the pair more than two hours later and reported the yacht was still afloat but likely to go under soon.