Crew on a Round the Island safety boat had to be rescued after their vessel capsized yesterday.

The Spirit of Bermuda the first boat to respond to the Mayday call, found one man in the water and another clinging to the hull of the upturned boat off St. David's Head.

The men were spotted by William Caulder, a Dellwood Middle School teacher taking part in a 30-hour training sail with the sloop. "I screened the horizon and saw the boat bobbing upside down. The captain whipped us around and got us there very quickly," he said.

"Realising we were suddenly going to be part of a rescue mission, it was a rush. And all the crew did a wonderful job."

The men on the stricken vessel were volunteers on a crash boat for the Bermuda Powerboat Association (BPA) Round the Island race.

Bermuda Maritime Operations (Harbour Radio) issued a Mayday after receiving a 911 call from a relative of one of the men, at 12.30 p.m.. The Spirit, en route from Castle Harbour, was alongside minutes later.

Crew helped one man aboard while the other stayed clinging to the boat until the arrival of the Marine Police 'Rescue 3' boat at 12.45 p.m. The men were then transferred onto the Police vessel.

Two more boats also attended the scene, one of which towed the 26 ft Pursuit powerboat to Tucker's Bay.

A spokesman for Bermuda Maritime Operations said the men were back on dry land at Penno's Wharf at 1.30 p.m..

The Spirit's captain Jack Morton said: "It is very gratifying to be able to give back to the marine community, and getting someone who is in trouble safely aboard is the most important service you can perform."

The trainees three staff from the Mirrors programme and 11 public middle school teachers, were called upon to put their new-found skills to use in a real life emergency.

Mr. Morton praised the 14 trainees and his five professional members of crew yesterday.

"The crew performed magnificently and did exactly what they should," he said. "They all responded very well."

Elizabeth Chang, Bermuda Sloop Foundation educational programme director, was also aboard the schooner at the weekend.

"I think the men in the water were very grateful we had responded and were there to help," she said.

"It is the first time we've had a rescue call like this with trainees on board and I think they impressed themselves at how they handled the sails in a way which was both safe and fast."

BPA acting-vice commodore and race director Ernie Mello last night praised the "brilliant response" of the Bermuda Police Service and the Spirit.

"Thankfully the Spirit was there in the vicinity and the actions of the crew cut the danger down," he said.

Chris Roque, who runs the Spar Yard boatyard, said the vessel is thought to have capsized due to a structural problem or faulty hatch.

"It had a pre-existing problem," he said. "We haven't determined that problem yet but I hope to find out tomorrow."