Five miles off the coast of Dorset, the Coast Guard rescued a yachtsman trying to sail to the US in a £300 dinghy.
The 30-year-old Bulgarian native had set off in his 14ft vessel from Christchurch Harbour and intended to cross the Atlantic, but was overcome by seasickness en route. A passing ship noticed the man was unwell. The vessel called a rescue team.
The lifeguard called the rescue team, who had resisted the man. He did not want to leave the boat, but managed to evacuate him.
According to rescuer Pete Dadds the man would definitely have died: he was not wearing a lifejacket, the boat had no lights and the only navigation tool was a map of Southampton. The dinghy was also slowly filling up with water, and there were only a few hot dogs and a bag of biscuits on board.
The man, who had decided to emigrate to the United States, was now taken to hospital.
