sailor Peter Augusto should have ended after months of solitude.

But, after just six days at sea, a series of unbelievable mishaps destroyed all that on Friday when the 38-foot Sozinho was sideswiped by a freighter and then all but destroyed by a freak wave just off the coast of Bermuda.

"I think my deep water sailing days are over,'' the 61-year-old retired aerospace engineer said yesterday from the Bermuda Sailors Home. Originally from Fall River Massachussetts, he now lives in Vero Beach, Florida.

"The probability is just so small that you would get struck out there. It was a combination of things.'' After just six days at sea Mr. Augusto was making relatively minor repairs after blowing out two sails on Friday morning and diverting to Bermuda when something told him to turn around.

What he saw was the 31,000 ton Theodoros IV bearing down on him. He frantically rushed back inside to ride out what he hoped would be a close call.

It was not. In rough seas the sailboat's starboard side smashed into the freighter's port bow, then broke its mast in the second collision amidships as the vessels rolled with the seas.

The third collision, near the ship's propeller, was even more dangerous because if the mast -- with various lines dragging from it -- got caught, the story would have ended there.

But the mast fell to the sailboat's port side, away from the ship, thereby narrowly avoiding being sucked under by the big prop.

Amazingly the freighter, heading for Maine, continued on its journey, seemingly oblivious to what had happened.

Now with only short range communications, Mr. Augusto hopped on a VHF radio with what he called "choice words'' and after not getting a response, began to check his boat.

"I yelled `you struck me, you struck me' but he just sailed on,'' Mr. Augusto said.

Sailor has a narrow escape "I thought I heard a response in a foreign language, but I went to work stripping the rigging and just as I finished, about two hours later he appeared again.'' "The Captain was great. I'm so glad for him. He saved my life. He didn't have to, nobody would have known!'' With the Theodoros VI shadowing him, Mr. Augusto continued his desperate sail under power to make it to the St. George's Cut.

But a malfunctioning transmission meant stopping every two hours to add oil manually. It was on one of those stops about 50 miles south of Gibbs Hill early Saturday morning when the Theodoros slammed into the Sozinho again.

"He lost track of me and struck me again,'' Mr. Augusto said. "It cracked the boat. I didn't want to alienate him so I told him by radio to be careful.'' Even that was not the end. A short time later a huge wave is believed to have picked up the sailboat and slammed it back down, cracking all the windows and turning the interior into "utter chaos''.

"I don't know where the hell it came from but it was just gigantic,'' he said. "The whole world seemed to explode. Everything was scattered about.

Glass, seawater, food, and fuel was everywhere.'' Mr. Augusto continued: "I hopped on the radio and asked him to call Bermuda Harbour Radio who I knew had such great coverage and good people.

He added with a shrug: "I wanted him to ask them to send out the helicopter.

The last time I was here, there was one.'' "Eventually he came back on and said a pilot boat would be coming out for me.

That's a heck of a boat and an outstanding crew. Excellent. Between them and the Captain of the freighter they saved my life.'' About 4 p.m. Saturday he abandoned the boat he has owned since 1983, transferring to Marine and Ports' St. David for the ride to dry land. The Theodoros shadowed the transfer by providing some shelter from the wind and waves.

Taking stock, Mr. Augusto, who married his ex-wife in Bermuda in 1986, said the combination of the two strikes and the blow from the wave destroyed the 26-year-old sailboat.

It had been dry docked for three years for reinforcement in preparation for the round the world trip -- which Mr. Augusto believes explains why he is still alive.

"I like sailing. I helped sail a charter to the Virgin Islands late last year and there were nine people on board and I hated it,'' said Mr. Augusto whose grandfather was from the Azores.

"That's what sozinho means in Portugese -- solo, to be by oneself. That's what I wanted for a time. Everything I own was on that boat.'' Sitting on a bed, Mr. Augusto paused and looked around at his only possessions, a heavy duty raincoat, two pairs of pants, a palm computer, and a pair of shoes.

He said: "I grabbed some money and that was it. I think somebody upstairs has got other ideas for me. This was a warning. I think I'll buy a small boat and just go around the sound now.'' Marine and Ports pilot Rudy Cann last night praised his crew but said it is his job to make daring rescues in Bermuda's waters.

"It was very bad out there. It was no picnic. We were looking at 20 foot seas,'' he said. "The mast was completly gone and the A-Frame which held up his electronic equipment was leaning to one side.

"I don't think he planned to be out there in that kind of weather,'' Mr. Cann continued. "He got caught up in a fast moving system, then he had the collision. By the time we got there he had just had enough.'' The St. David is Government's main rescue boat and has a crew of three. A trainee pilot was also on board for the nine hour round trip.

"I must say that my crew were wonderful,'' Mr. Cann said. "They're not only asked to go out there but to also do something very dangerous. It takes a special type of seaman to do this.'' Survivor: Lone sailor Peter Augusto escaped with his life and just a few possessions when he abandoned his 38-foot sailboat Sozinho after two collisions with a freighter and a hit from a freak wave.