boat operator went to their rescue.

The French-registered yacht Vahine Panotul was en route from Cuba to the Azores when it ran into trouble north of the Island.

The vessel was carrying three crew -- a French man and two Portuguese men -- and had lost its rudder and damaged its propeller in a collision with the reef.

Under Sea Adventures Limited operator Greg Hartley was nearby on board the Rainbow Runner when he spotted a flare from the stricken vessel at around 11 a.m.

"We were finishing up a dive and were just leaving the reef when we spotted a flare. I would say they were about two miles west of Commissioner's Point at least. We went to investigate and they said they had no radio, battery or engine so we took them in tow.

"We alerted the authorities and towed them between the reefs to Dockyard. We were in the middle of a cruise so we could not hang around. The Police met us when we got into the camber and took them in tow when we got there. There was nothing dramatically wrong with the boat -- no broken masts or anything.

"The wind was from the east. Our crew had actually sighted them earlier when they were trying to tack closer to Bermuda. If we had not gotten them, with the tide going down, they would have ended up in very shallow water by Eastern Blue Cut.'' Meanwhile Rainbow Runner passenger and helmet diving tour participant Mick Rice added: "When we called ahead to inform Harbour Radio about what had happened and said that the yacht was coming from Cuba, it must have rung a few alarm bells.

"They contacted the Police and a Boston Whaler came out and met us on our way in. We were sort of speculating about what might be going on but didn't really know. It just seemed sort of suspicious that the Police would be involved.

"It definitely added a little extra adventure to the tour. The credit must go to the tour people for going and rescuing them. They seemed fine and grateful.'' Mr. Hartley downplayed his actions. "It's just the law of the sea,'' he said.

A Police spokeswoman said the yacht relied on solar panels to charge its batteries and the overcast skies had left the vessel without the use its engine and electrical equipment.

"It sailed to Bermuda but did not have the right charts for us and ran aground off the West End.'' She said none of the crew suffered any injuries and the boat only received minor damage. The crew are expected to make repairs and get back underway.

A Harbour Radio spokesman said: "It's hard to know how they ended up where they did. It must have been some sort of navigational error.''