A solo sailor travelling from the Caribbean to Bermuda was rescued by a cruise ship after his 40-foot boat started taking on water.

The 32-year-old British man was picked up by the Crown Princess about 116 miles south of the Island on Tuesday afternoon after issuing a mayday call from his sailboat Dangerous When Wet

The vessel was on its way from the Caribbean island of St. Maarten to Bermuda when the skipper discovered it was low on fuel and taking on water.

A duty officer at Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre said: "He intended to abandon his boat and that's what he did. The cruise ship came alongside it and took him off.

"They would then just keep going to the next port of call which was San Juan, Puerto Rico. His boat will just float around until somebody hits it or it sinks or somebody salvages it."

The Crown Princess was due to visit St. George's yesterday but bypassed Bermuda due to bad weather.