became caught up in a storm.

Experts at the St. George's-based radio centre maintained a constant communication link with the only ship close enough to rescue the couple at 5.30 on Saturday morning.

The Canadian pair on the 42-foot ketch Rubaiyat ran into trouble when their yacht hit high winds and stormy seas 200 miles north of Bermuda.

But the man and woman were rescued when a Liberian oil tanker, the Varden , pulled alongside.

The man thought he had broken several bones after taking a tumble during the storm.

But a first aid check on the Varden found he was suffering from severe bruising only.

The Bermudian radio operators set up the communication link with the Varden after the tanker reported picking up a Mayday signal.

A spokesman for Harbour Radio, based in St. George's, said: "The US Coastguard's Rescue Coordination Centre in Norfolk, Virginia, picked up the yacht's satellite distress signal and sent out a C130 Hercules jet to get their exact location.

"The Mayday signal was picked up by the Varden and relayed to us. Our job was to monitor exactly what was happening so the operation could go smoothly.'' The spokesman said it was not known where the pair had set sail from or where they were heading.

He added: "All we know is that the couple are now on their way to New York City, the Varden's next port of call.

"The Rubaiyat has now been set adrift on the open sea. The problem we faced was that we were only in contact with the Varden .

"They had links with the Rubaiyat but we didn't so the only information we got came from the oil tanker.

"But they managed to pull alongside the ketch and complete the rescue so all's well that ends well.'' SAILING SLG