Two Bermuda residents were yesterday safe ashore in Spain after being rescued from a crippled yacht in drama on the high seas.

Derek Davis and Clare Spearing were among the four-man crew who abandoned their boat and were plucked from stormy seas by a US container ship.

And yesterday all four arrived in the Farrell Lines MV Argonaut in the Spanish port of Cadiz.

Robert Bowden, master of the Farrell Lines Argonaut , said: "There were no injuries among the crew of the boat and all are in good health. Our crew did an outstanding job for a safe rescue.'' The terror on the ocean began after the English-registered 38-foot ketch Raske -- which had been berthed in Bermuda for a year -- hit an obstruction more than 700 miles off the Azores and began to take on water.

The boat's crisis worsened after it lost engine power, its rudder jammed and the weather took a turn for the worse.

The crew contacted the US Coast Guard last Thursday and asked for help as the seas swelled to ten feet and the wind reached 20 knots and began to rise.

The Argonaut , which was around 65 miles from the scene, altered course immediately and began steaming towards the stricken boat.

Capt. Bowden said: "It took three hours to reach them.

"We made visual contact at six miles, came alongside... and used the pilot ladder to bring aboard its crew.'' The crew of the Argonaut , en route to Cadiz from Charleston, North Carolina, rescued all four crew members, leaving the Raske adrift.

The other two crew members of the Raske , including skipper Gerald Leck, are understood to be British subjects resident in England.

Farrell Lines chief executive George Lowman added yesterday: "We are proud of the performance of the Argonaut and its crew in helping these people to safety.

"This reflects the finest tradition of the American maritime industry and the 75-year history of Farell Lines.'' The Raske , now registered in Cornwall, England, was bought in Grenada by an Englishman.

It was en route to England a year ago when it was forced to divert to Bermuda with engine and automatic steering problems.

It finally set sail for its new home port in Cornwall via the Azores on May 28 and was less than a fortnight out when it hit fresh problems.