Adrift at sea with no steerage, no communications and no electrics, and with Tropical Storm Arlene in the vicinity, the crew of the Raske desperately awaited the arrival of the MV Argonaut to rescue them.

This was the situation in which Bermudians 23-year-old Clare Spearing and 25-year-old Derek Davis found themselves some 700 miles from the Azores last month.

Ms Spearing and Mr. Davis spoke to The Gazette after their harrowing experience aboard the 36-foot, all-wood Raske . The two had agreed to help sail the ketch to the Azores with the owner, Peter Matthews, and Capt. Gerald Leck, both British nationals.

They left Bermuda on May 28 in very light winds and headed north in the hopes of catching stronger winds. They soon found themselves in the midst of storms and squalls with 20-foot seas and were even knocked down at one point.

The Raske took a beating and started to experience various mechanical and electric problems.

On the night of June 8, Mr. Davis was on watch and reported that the vessel hit something which momentarily lifted the yacht out of the water. Mr. Davis then discovered the rudder had jammed.

The crew was roused and attached the emergency tiller. But as the owner attempted to steer the boat in 30-knot winds, he lost his footing and broke the tiller handle.

The vessel was left adrift.

The crew made contact with the UK Coast Guard via a satellite phone to report the vessel's difficulties and to check on the weather conditions.

The captain wanted to stay with the vessel and attempt to steer her with the sails, but as it was reported that a gale was due in their position and because the vessel had exhausted its primary water supply and was low on provisions, the owner decided to abandon ship.

The UK Coast Guard alerted the US Coast Guard who reported that the Argonaut , an American-flagged cargo carrier, was headed in the Raske's direction and was approximately 65 miles away.

Mr. Matthews made contact with the crew of the MV Argonaut and advised them of the Raske's position. As he tried to communicate with the ship the satellite phone was ripped from the wall of the boat.

Hungry, cold, scared and unable to communicate with their rescuers, the crew sat helplessly praying for the arrival of the MV Argonaut .

Mr. Davis said: "When we lost communication, I started to wonder whether they would find us. It was a really weird feeling; you start thinking all kinds of things.'' He said he was happy to be getting off the boat but was also sad knowing that they would have to abandon her at sea.

Three hours elapsed before they saw the MV Argonaut on the horizon. The crew started to pack up their things and secure the sails and hatches, still wondering if there was something else they could do to keep going and what they could have done differently.

In the heavy seas, the Argonaut turned perpendicular to the Raske to try to create a lee in order to bring the Raske alongside.

Mr. Davis said that it was incredible how the suction created by the 600-foot ship just pulled the Raske towards it. The crew of the Argonaut threw lines to the Raske to secure her.

It was a difficult manoeuvre given the conditions and the Raske's bow smashed into the side of the MV Argonaut , but eventually everyone aboard the yacht climbed up the pilot's ladder to safety.

Mr. Davis said: "It was such an empty feeling watching the Raske drift away,'' and reported that the owner and captain of the vessel were teary for several days after she was left at sea.

The Argonaut arrived in Cadiz, Spain five days later. Mr. Davis said that during that time, the Argonaut was contacted by the coastguard again to go to the aid of another pleasure craft in trouble.

But there were two other ships in the area and the Argonaut resumed her course towards Spain.

Both Mr. Davis and Ms Spearing reported they were well cared for by the captain and crew of the Argonaut , offering them clothes and whatever else they needed.

On arriving in Cadiz, Ms Spearing and Mr. Davis made their way to London to get a flight home.

They arrived in Bermuda on June 22. After telling friends and family about their life-threatening experience, they discovered that more than one marine engineer had told the captain of the Raske that the yacht was not seaworthy.

They also learned the vessel had tried to leave Bermuda on previous occasions and had turned back because of various repair problems.

It was said the Raske was forced to leave Bermuda by the Immigration Department although the Chief Immigration Officer would not comment on the matter.

When asked by The Royal Gazette to sum up their experience, Ms Spearing said she will be much more thorough in checking out the captain and vessel before embarking on an ocean voyage again.

Mr. Davis said: "I wouldn't trade the experience for the world but also wouldn't want to go through it again.'' In a thoughtful mood, he added: "The ocean is the greatest power there is.

Whenever you go to sea, you have to be aware that you can lose your life out there.''