part of an ill-fated flotilla heading to the Caribbean.

The boat was among eight, from Rhode Island, which were due to be delivered to Martinique in the West Indies, but only three have arrived safely.

One of the catamarans managed to reach Bermuda on Saturday and continued its journey yesterday.

It appears to have been a nightmarish trip for the French crews of the yachts.

Harbour Radio reported that apart from the missing yacht, one had to be abandoned and another is believed to have sunk.

The eight craft set sail from Portsmouth, Rhode Island, in early December.

Three successfully made the journey to Fort de France, the main port of the French Caribbean Island.

On December 22, the merchant ship Sarajevo Express reported seeing an overturned catamaran 400 miles north of Bermuda, according to Harbour Radio.

The catamaran later sank.

Another catamaran had to be abandoned on Boxing Day after its three-man crew encountered high winds and heavy seas. Its crew was rescued and is being taken to Gibraltar.

Lagoon 37 arrived in Bermuda on Saturday for the crew to repair and restock the boat. It slipped quietly away yesterday without reporting to Harbour Radio.

But the US Coast Guard has launched a search for another catamaran L23 five days after it failed to arrive in Fort de France.

The search for the twin-hulled craft and its three-man French crew had been suspended on New Year's Day because of bad weather.

It re-started yesterday, involving Coast Guard, US Navy and Canadian Armed Forces planes covering a 7,200-square mile area. Four planes were taking part.

Nothing was found by nightfall.

A Coast Guard official said the skipper of L23 was an experienced sailor, while his mates were amateurs. The vessel was not fitted with a radio beacon device that can signal a distressed craft's position.

A Harbour Radio spokesman said that reports had been confusing. He said: "It appears of the eight that set off one has sunk, one has been abandoned and another is missing.'' He asked anyone sailing from Bermuda this week to look out for the missing catamaran.

All eight vessels were owned by Moorings Co., of Clearwater, Florida.