Nine Britons and five Irish sailors were rescued from a sinking Gosport-based racing yacht after it struck rocks in Indonesian waters.

There were 16 people on board the Cork Clipper including one from Hampshire, when it was holed near the island Gosong Mampango in the Java Sea, 200 miles north east of Jakarta, yesterday.

Amateur footage of Cork stranded on rocks

The stranded sailors abandoned the stricken boat in life rafts and headed for nearby rocks.

They then waited to be picked up by two of their fellow racing yachts - the California Clipper and Team Finland.

All of those on board the Cork Clipper are reported to be safe and well.

The yacht, the Irish entry for the race, was skippered by Richie Fearon, 29, from Derry, Northern Ireland.

Among the crew were Alan Moss, 40, from Fareham, Gavin Kelly, 35, from Abbeyfeale, Limerick, Ireland, Keith Hale, 50, from West Yorkshire, Kevin Austen, 26, from Dublin, Marco Giana, 37, from Co Cork, Ireland, Michael Lewis, 31, from Derby, Noreen Osborne, 32, from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Orla Mellett, 30, from London.

The remainder of the crew are Sarah Bell, 44, from North Yorkshire, Sarah Boyle, 28, from Cork, Ireland, Sean Coote, 47, from Sunbury on Thames, David Paton, 56, from Preston, Lancashire, Tie Wa Li, 28, from Ruislip, west London, Jacqui Browne, 49, from Co Kerry, and Tania Dolinschek, 46, from Western Australia.

The 68-foot yacht is believed to be lying on its side and has suffered damage to its hull.

Falmouth Coastguard raised the alarm with international rescue services after being contacted by Team Finland at around 8pm UK time last night.

Both the Cork Clipper and Team Finland are taking part in the 35,000-mile Clipper Round the World Race, which started in Humberside in September.

Celebrated sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, chairman of the race organisers Clipper Ventures, said: ''Clearly our priority has been the safety of the crew and we have confirmation that all on board have evacuated and are now safe.

''Their welfare is our prime concern at this time.''

The 16 crew on board the Cork Clipper consists of nine Britons, five Irish people, one Australian and one Chinese national.

The yacht ran into trouble in strong winds and rough seas at around 4am Indonesian time.

They radioed the California Clipper and Team Finland for help and abandoned ship in life rafts.

The boat's sister ships were only around four nautical miles away and arrived on the scene as daylight broke.

The Cork Clipper crew then braved the stormy seas once again to paddle out to the two rescue boats.

A spokeswoman for Falmouth Coastguard said: ''The crew had a lucky escape.

''You don't abandon ship unless you have to. The priority for the skipper is looking after the crew.''