Rescued yachtsman's vessel found

Australian coastguards took this picture of the drifting yacht

A Shetland yachtsman who sparked an international rescue has been told that his boat has been found.

Andrew Halcrow, 47, was 350 miles south west of Australia when he was struck down with pain in December.

He was able to ring girlfriend Alyson Keillor at their home in Shetland 10,000 miles away and asked her to get medical help via coastguards.

His yacht Elsi Arrub has been spotted 170 miles off Australia. The plan is for a boat to tow the yacht to land.

Single-handed

Mr Halcrow was airlifted off a ship which had come to his aid and taken to hospital where he had his appendix removed.

His girlfriend had contacted Shetland Coastguard who raised the alarm.

The UK Coastguard liaison station in Falmouth, Cornwall, was contacted and officers got in touch with their Australian counterparts in Canberra who sent out a spotter plane.

The aircraft found Mr Halcrow's yacht and the nearby tanker the Elegant Princess was sent to his aid.

Mr Halcrow left Shetland in June to sail single-handed around the world. The trip was expected to take him a year to complete.