Tim Patton and his crew from Bermuda Marine Services rescued the J24 Erin from the bottom of Bermuda's Great Sound yesterday.

Erin was back at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club marina by yesterday afternoon and will compete again when International Invitational Race Week resumes today.

The boat sank on Tuesday in Race Five of the J24 Class competition. Erin had been on the last leg of the last race and was flying her spinnaker in a building 30-knot breeze.

As the boat rounded up in a massive broach, she put her mast in the water and flooded the cockpit and cabin. The boat didn't right herself and sank to the bottom, sails and all.

No one was injured. Chase boats on the course picked up skipper Tim Lynch and his crew of Barry Surbuchen, Steven Musicant, Natalie Luthi and Tiffany Wardman as they stayed near the mast of the sunken boat. Several racing boats diverted to render assistance as well.

A diver retrieved sails and personal items and the motor shortly after the sinking.

About two feet of the mast was sticking above the water and Erin was standing straight up with her keel resting on the sandy bottom. She was marked with a buoy overnight.

Yesterday morning, Patton and crew took two work barges to the site.

In windy conditions with a two foot chop in the Great Sound, a chain was attached to the boat's hoist ring and lifted the boat just off the bottom. Moving at about a half-knot, they took Erin into the lee of Long Island to get out of the wind and waves.

They couldn't lift the boat out of the Sound because the weight of the water inside would have broken the craft in half.

A diver positioned two straps under the boat, one in front of the keel and one behind it. The winches on the two barges lifted Erin so her deck and cockpit companionway were just above the water.

They then lowered a high capacity pump into the cabin. As the water was pumped out, the boat rose out of the water.

Erin was back at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club marina by 2 p.m. yesterday. And following yesterday's rest day, the boat will be among the J24 fleet when racing resumes today.

A low north off Bermuda brought a series of troughs over the area yesterday.

Winds today will be strong to near gale force with gusts to gale force, especially in showers. The forecast is for WNW winds between18 and 22 knots today and WNW 15 to 20 knots tomorrow.