following news that the crews of two missing British yachts were safe, and heading towards the Azores.

And as anxious relatives of the two boats were relayed the good news, details began to emerge of a dramatic and heroic mid-sea rescue which almost certainly saved the lives of five of the sailors.

The two 62-foot yachts, Zuno and Ocean Vagabond , left Bermuda a day apart last week, both bound for the Azores.

But some 900 to 1,000 miles northeast of the Island they ran into a raging Force 10 gale with winds of over 50 knots and 25-foot waves.

The Ocean Vagabond is believed to have sunk and its crew of three Britons, a Norwegian and a resident of St. Maarten, forced into a life-raft.

Soon after, the skipper of the Zuno , 23-year-old Englishman Timothy Bright, and his crew of four, located the raft and plucked the stricken sailors to safety in conditions which one search coordinator described as "treacherous''.

However, Bermuda Harbour Radio and the US Coast Guard didn't learn of the drama until yesterday morning when the pilot of a C-130 search plane made contact with the Burmese motor vessel Janice Aung , on its way to the Bahamas.

The Burmese captain confirmed he had spoken by radio with Zuno on Tuesday and was informed the Ocean Vagabond crew were aboard, "safe and well.'' The Zuno , now with 10 people on board, is expected to reach the Azores by tomorrow.

Two US Coast Guard C-130s and a P-3 Orion airplane have been scouring the distress area this week in a rescue operation costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. All vessels in the area had also been put on alert.

The alarm had been sounded on Monday after Harbour Radio received an emergency signal, believed to have been sent out by the Zuno . But no radio contact could be made with either yacht.

As news spread of the sailors' plight, Harbour Radio was inundated with calls from the British TV and print media anxious to keep on top of the story. At one stage yesterday, assistant director of Government Information Services Mrs. Val Pethen was dispatched to St. George's to handle a stream of overseas press inquiries.

At least two British newspapers flew reporters into Bermuda.

Last night British relatives of those on board the two yachts expressed relief at the latest news.

Antique restorer Tim Dewey of Bath, whose 26-year-old daughter Laura is on board Zuno , said: "I'm absolutely delighted. I was incredibly worried about Laura and it has come as an amazing relief that she is safe.

"We never allowed ourselves to think the worst. We were always waiting for good news. It has been a difficult time because initial reports were so sketchy and vague.'' Paul Bright, of Chester, brother of Zuno skipper Timothy, said: "It's been a tough 24 hours.

"We can all sleep easy in our beds and maybe have a couple of drinks.'' Others on board the Zuno are Irishmen Billy Burke, 28, of Dublin and Brendan Durrer, 21, of Waterford, and Canadian Damon Mangat, 21, of Ontario.

The rescued five from Ocean Vagabond are skipper Andrew Jarvis, 24, of Richmond, Surrey; Miles Sutherland-Pilch, 21, of West Sussex; Lucian Hubbard, 21, of Chichester, Sussex; Norwegian Nina Magelssen, 21; and St. Maarten islander Jasper Vissa.

This week's storm has already claimed one life -- that of a crewman from the abandoned yacht Wailua who was lost at sea as he attempted to climb aboard a cargo ship.

And yesterday it was learned that four German and Austrian crew from the yacht Screwdriver had been safely picked up by a Europe-bound ship hundreds of miles off Bermuda after running into trouble.