from raging seas and brought them to safety at St. George's.

"She was more worried about the cat,'' said Bermuda Pilot Mario Thompson, who described the rescue operation as one of the most difficult in his 16 year career as a pilot.

Yves and Estelle's ten-metre sloop, Ophelie was en route from St. Martin to the Azores when it ran out of fuel early Monday morning.

The two, who would only give their first names for publication, decided to to rig up the sails and divert to Bermuda.

Estelle, 21, told The Royal Gazette they did not radio for help right away but had to wait for stronger winds.

When the winds did come, they were a bit too strong. By 6 a.m. yesterday the boat's rigging had been ripped to shreds and Ophelie was drifting dangerously and very quickly around North Rock.

Mr. Thompson and a crew of three set off around 9.30 a.m. for what turned out to be a ten hour rescue operation.

When the rescue team arrived at the scene some three hours later, winds were still averaging 35 to 40 knots. The Ophelie had drifted another 15 miles in seas that were 15 to 18 feet high.

"I have been involved in a number of rescues and this would rank a nine on a scale of one to ten, in terms of seriousness and degree of difficulty,'' said Mr. Thompson.

He told The Royal Gazette that credit was due to his crew, Harbour Radio and the Rescue Coordination Centre.

What made it especially difficult, besides the rough seas and heavy winds, was a massive communication hurdle to overcome. The couple couldn't speak English and no one on the rescue boat, or at Harbour Radio, could speak any French.

"We had to use gestures and hand signals'' from a distance of 25 to 35 feet, said Mr. Thompson.

"She was panic-stricken and exhausted'', said Mr. Thompson. The first option, to tow the boat to safety, failed because of logistical problems, said Mr.

Thompson, and they spent two hours assessing their options, and trying to communicate with the couple. By then the boat had drifted another two miles south.

The couple agreed that they would have to abandon their yacht, but their life raft malfunctioned. But once outside the vessel the raft acted as an anchor, slowing its drift somewhat, said Mr. Thompson.

When the last resort, to go alongside Ophelie was seriously considered, the cruise ship Nordic Empress was contacted to help calm the waters between the two vessels. But the cruise ship's estimated time of arrival was another three hours. Soon, the seas had calmed enough for the rescue team to make the risky manoeuvre.

Yves, 39, and Estelle, with three of their five pieces of baggage, made it to the pilot boat by straddling Ophelie 's safety railings with a rope tied around their waist.

Gribouille, the cat, who was lifted to safety inside one of the bags, was quarantined by Government vet Jonathan Nisbett. The couple plan to leave the Island by air.

See also Page 2