A diabetic sailor is due to be airlifted to the US this morning after falling ill on the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers.

The 58-year-old British man is aboard the Whimbrel II, a 28ft yacht en route from Tortola to Bermuda.

The British vessel was 300 miles south of Bermuda and four days away from land when the crew e-mailed Bermuda Maritime Operations on Tuesday.

A Harbour Radio spokesman said: "They said the man was terribly seasick, which is unusual for him. His blood sugar level was also higher than it has ever been."

Bermuda Maritime Operations contacted the US Coast Guard who dispatched a C130 search aircraft and a H60 helicopter from Norfolk, Virginia. The Coast Guard aircraft are expected to be on station by 5 a.m.