during a fierce storm.

A United States Coast Guard helicopter crew decided the crew of the 41-foot ketch Malachite were in too much danger to leave in rough seas and high winds, and winched them on board.

The helicopter carried the sailors to Bermuda where one person was taken to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital with a suspected broken rib.

Malachite was on route from Beaufort, North Carolina, to Bermuda, when it encountered difficulties 230 miles northwest of the Island. The ketch capsized twice in 25-foot seas and winds of more than 45 knots.

Harbour Radio were earlier worried because the weather was preventing the crew from contacting them by radio.

A spokesman reported that an Italian bulk carrier Giovanni Della Gatta diverted to rescue the yachtsmen but it would have taken 10 hours for the ship to have reached the scene.

He said: "It was decided that more immediate action was required. A decision was made to fly out a helicopter to the scene.

"The helicopter crew decided they had to hoist the sailors to safety. It began around 7 p.m. and ended at 7.50 p.m. The helicopter then proceeded to Bermuda because it was running low on fuel.'' The helicopter was accompanied by a C130 US Coast Guard plane which was waiting at the Civil Air Terminal last night to transport the Americans home if the injured person was not too seriously hurt.

A yacht from Newport was being repaired in Bermuda this weekend after hitting the reef and then running aground on a wreck.

Three sailors on Freedom Ring , on its way to the Virgin Islands, told Harbour Radio they were taking on water just after midnight on Friday night. They had knocked their keel of their 35-foot sloop loose but had the leak under control with a pump.

Near St. George's Boatyard, at about 3 a.m., they hit a wreck and had to be helped by the Myers workboat Spanish Queen .

Harbour Radio operators were also busy over the weekend with boats breaking their moorings after being tossed by heavy seas. At least four vessels broke loose.

High winds caused several trees to fall across roads and caused a number of power blackouts, including one at Court Street. Hamilton Corporation workers dealt with fallen branches across North Street yesterday morning, and were repairing broken Christmas street lights.