A British yachtsman was rescued near Bermuda after suffering a bad fall during a solo Atlantic crossing.

Alan Thompson, 61, of Chichester, West Sussex, suffered a suspected broken pelvis on his sail boat Padolu, about 690 miles north east of Bermuda.

An oil tanker responded to a mayday call after Mr. Thompson contacted his local pub in the UK and the landlord called the authorities. Two US Coast Guard members helped him off the yacht.

The BBC has reported that Mr. Thompson, who is an experienced yachtsman, was said to be in a lot of pain and was given self-medication advice by a doctor over a satellite phone.

But his boat, thought to have cost about $33,000, was abandoned.

Mr. Thompson was on his way back to the US on Sunday to receive medical treatment.

Padolu will either sink or the prevailing winds and current will take it to the US.