Yorkshire sailors plucked to safety in Java Sea drama

Sarah Bell, 44, and Keith Hale, 50, were two of 16 people on board the Cork Clipper when it was holed near the island Gosong Mampango in the Java Sea, 200 miles north east of Jakarta.

The stranded sailors abandoned the stricken boat in life rafts and headed for nearby rocks.

They then waited to be picked up by two of their fellow racing yachts - the California Clipper and Team Finland.

All of those on board the Cork Clipper are reported to be safe and well.

The yacht, the Irish entry for the race, was skippered by Richie Fearon, 29, from Derry, Northern Ireland.

The 68-foot yacht is believed to be lying on its side and has suffered damage to its hull.

Falmouth Coastguard raised the alarm with international rescue services after being contacted by Team Finland at around 8pm UK time last night.

Both the Cork Clipper and Team Finland are taking part in the 35,000-mile Clipper Round the World Race, which started in Humberside in September.

Miss Bell, a horticulturalist from Ripon, joined the Cork Clipper in Western Australia over Christmas and was due to complete two legs of the race to Qingdao in China and then San Francisco.

She said when she signed up for the race that she had "a desire to leave my comfort zone…I expect my adventure to be arduous and at times uncompromising".

Mr Hale is from West Yorkshire.

One of the other crew, Irishman Sean Coote, 47, who lives in Sunbury on Thames, said: "After our evacuation and on reaching the island it was unreal to look back and see Cork on her side with waves breaking over the port beam.

"Our life raft was picked up approximately half an hour after leaving the island by the California crew who were immediately on hand with biscuits and hot tea.

"Thoughts are now turning to contacting family and re-assuring them that we are OK.

"We are grateful to have escaped with no major injuries and proud to have rallied together as team and survived a harrowing ordeal and test of our resilience."

Celebrated sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, chairman of the race organisers Clipper Ventures, said: "Clearly our priority has been the safety of the crew and we have confirmation that all on board have evacuated and are now safe.

"Their welfare is our prime concern at this time."

The 16 crew on board the Cork Clipper consists of nine Britons, five Irish people, one Australian and one Chinese national.

The yacht ran into trouble in strong winds and rough seas at around 4am Indonesian time.

They radioed the California Clipper and Team Finland for help and abandoned ship in life rafts.

The boat's sister ships were only around four nautical miles away and arrived on the scene as daylight broke.

The Cork Clipper crew then braved the stormy seas once again to paddle out to the two rescue boats.

A spokeswoman for Falmouth Coastguard said: "The crew had a lucky escape.

"You don't abandon ship unless you have to. The priority for the skipper is looking after the crew."