FOUR sailors were at the centre of a dramatic rescue when a Hampshire yacht sank in the mid Atlantic.

Two vessels responded to a mayday call from the boat as it passed near the Cape Verde Islands, off the coast of west Africa.

They picked up the crew before the yacht, which has not been named, slipped beneath the waves an hour later.

The delivery vessel was en route from Hamble to the Caribbean nation of Grenada when it began taking on water and developed a rudder problem yesterday.

Its crew issued a mayday call this morning which was picked up and reissued by HM Coastguard at Falmouth in Cornwall.

They were later rescued by two yachts which responded to the call.

A spokesman for HM Coastguard said all four of the men were safe, and were en route to the Caribbean, from where they would travel back to Hampshire.