Concern is growing for a Bermudian sailor who was last seen two weeks ago en-route to the Caribbean.

The last confirmed sighting of the man was on May 4 by a merchant ship which stopped to assist him with a battery for his boat Endurance II.

Yesterday, two US Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft were dispatched from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and New York to conduct searches of the area, which is halfway between Bermuda and the Caribbean.

The man, who is reported to be in his fifties, left the Island on April 19 to travel solo to St. Vincent in the 26 ft yacht.

A Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre spokesman said last night: "He had some sort of technical problem on May 4 and a merchant ship stopped to give him some assistance, which we think was a battery.

"That was some 570 miles to the south-east of Bermuda and that was the last confirmed sighting we have.

"His family are now raising the alarm that he is overdue."

The Harbour Radio spokesman said it was thought the yacht was not equipped with an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons) system, which relays a boat's position via satellite in the event of distress.

"It is a serious situation for this yacht and concern is growing," he said.