accident told last night of his brush with disaster.

Mr. Carl Geyer said an SOS was sent out as water flooded through a massive hole in the 54-foot sloop.

With the stricken La Chasseresse starting to sink, the 12-strong crew began desperately bailing out water.

"The water was coming in really quickly, and it was a battle just to keep afloat,'' he told The Royal Gazette .

"Three of us were also hurt -- one had suffered a broken rib after being thrown about.'' Disaster off St. George's was narrowly averted, however, when the Marine Police vessel Heron 1 came to the rescue.

She pumped the yacht out, and was soon joined by the pilot boat St. George .

"You could say they arrived in the nick of the time. We wouldn't have liked to remain out there much longer. We were very fortunate,'' said Mr. Geyer.

The drama occurred shortly after the yacht finished fourth in its division in the biannual Annapolis-Bermuda race.

It had left St. George's and reached North East Breaker, four and a half miles offshore, when she was holed.

Said Mr. Geyer: "I don't believe we hit a reef. It seemed to be an object in the sea, but I wouldn't like to say what.

"A large hole appeared in the back of the keel, and we began taking water fast. The boat is very badly damaged.'' Mr. Geyer, who was on board with his wife Susan and 16-year-old daughter, Shannon, said the boat was travelling 10 knots at the time of impact.

Meanwhile yesterday, Harbour Radio reported a number of sea incidents brought on by choppy conditions.

The most important involved a 35-foot Canadian sloop, Vienna , with two people on board north east of the Island.

She sent out a distress call at 7.30 a.m after running out of fuel, and suffering problems with her rigging and mast.

A nearby merchant ship Rio Grande came to her help, and a national coast guard plane also went out to investigate.

The Dolphin Leap , involved in the Annapolis-Bermuda race, also had to be towed back to Bermuda after suffering rigging problems north east of the Island.